Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has accused the Pakistani state of using counter-insurgency as a cover for a “planned genocide” of the Baloch people.
In a statement on Thursday, she said the ongoing crackdown on the BYC and the rise in enforced disappearances were not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate policy aimed at silencing every political and social voice in Balochistan.
“Under the guise of counter-insurgency, a plan of Baloch genocide has been drawn up,” Dr. Sabiha said. “The state’s problem is not only with those who demand independence, but also with those who speak of their fundamental rights, whether it is the right over their resources or the right to life itself.”
She described the current period as “a very harsh and critical time,” warning that if Baloch society remained silent “This ruthless enemy, which does not hesitate to forcibly disappear people and dump bodies, will also devastate our settlements, and then there will be no one left to question it.”
In her concluding remarks, Dr. Sabiha called for immediate action. “We must rise for our rights and for our people, and we must rise now. Otherwise, our very silence will suppress us for many more years, and we will be left waiting for the next generation to speak.”