Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) central leader Dr Sabiha Baloch has said that Baloch identity has been turned into a “mark of suspicion” in the name of security, with Baloch people facing continuous and systematic state repression across Pakistan.
Speaking as the BYC launched a day-long social media campaign on Friday over raids, enforced disappearances and increasing pressure on Baloch communities in Karachi, Dr Sabiha said Baloch people were being targeted wherever they lived, whether in Dera Ghazi Khan, Karachi or Balochistan.
She said Baloch civilians in Balochistan were being subjected to drone attacks and aerial operations, while Baloch communities that had lived in Karachi for generations were facing increasing harassment, raids and operations.
According to Dr Sabiha, repeated raids and operations were being carried out in Mauripur, Lyari and other Baloch-populated areas of Karachi, while several people had been forcibly disappeared.
She said the campaign was aimed at breaking the silence surrounding the situation in Karachi, amplifying the voices of affected families and drawing attention to reports of enforced disappearances and persecution.
“I appeal to everyone to join this campaign by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee and raise their voice against this oppression,” she said.
The BYC called on participants to share verified information, testimonies and videos relating to the raids and disappearances, demand information about missing persons and due process for those detained, and call for the protection of civilians and an end to collective punishment and harassment.
Dr Sabiha said the right to life was a fundamental right of every human being and called for an end to enforced disappearances, adding that security must no longer be used as a justification for the oppression and destruction of the Baloch people.
In a statement issued ahead of the campaign, the BYC said operations by police, Rangers, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies had created an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and constant surveillance in Karachi’s Baloch-populated areas.
The statement said dozens of young people had been forcibly disappeared from Mauripur, Sharafi, Lyari and Gulshan over the preceding two weeks, while raids, arrests and harassment were continuing in Mauripur, Lyari, Golimar, Malir and other areas.
It said Baloch residents were being singled out during searches because of their clothing, identity or addresses, while Baloch-populated neighbourhoods were being kept under siege for days during search operations.
The BYC also alleged that women and children were mistreated during house-to-house searches and that dozens of people were held overnight at Rangers posts and police stations and subjected to abuse in the name of questioning.
“Forces that raid homes cannot take control of the memory of generations. Living nations can be placed under siege, but they cannot be erased. The era of silencing the Baloch people through fear has passed,” the statement said.
The BYC called on Baloch people to raise their voices in defence of their collective rights, identity and dignity, saying silence would only allow the repression to continue.