Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the organizer of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has warned that the Pakistani state will be held accountable if any harm comes to her or any BYC members.
Her warning comes amid a heavy-handed crackdown on Baloch protesters, resulting in at least three deaths, dozens of injuries, the detention of over a thousand BYC supporters, and a recently foiled assassination attempt on her life.
“If anything happens to me or any BYC member, the Pakistani state will be held accountable,” Dr. Baloch said.
She explained that a peaceful gathering was planned in Gwadar on 28 July as part of the ‘Baloch Raaji Muchi’ (Baloch National Gathering), but state forces attempted to prevent the event using force.
“In three days, nearly a thousand of our supporters have been detained, and we have no information about their whereabouts or conditions,” she added.
Dr. Baloch described severe restrictions imposed in Gwadar, including a four-day curfew and a complete shutdown of communication networks.
She accused security forces and state-backed armed groups of detaining and harming Baloch citizens. “The Gwadar sit-in has faced a crackdown for the second time. Instead of negotiating with the peaceful protesters, the forces have used violence,” she said.
“We have no information on how many more people have been detained or injured. The bodies of those killed during the protest are in various hospitals, and viewing them is not permitted,” Dr. Baloch noted.
Dr. Baloch called for international attention and support. “I urge people to speak out against this genocide of the Baloch people and support the Baloch Yakjehti Committee,” she said.
It should be noted that an assassination attempt targeting Dr. Baloch and other BYC leaders was reportedly foiled on Sunday during the ‘Baloch Raaji Muchi.’ Two Military Intelligence agents were apprehended by participants of the event. The agents were armed with 9mm pistols and confessed to being sent by Pakistan’s Military Intelligence to assassinate Dr. Baloch.