The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a leading human rights organisation, on Friday, 1 May strongly condemned the alleged targeting of Baloch civilians through fabricated cases and subsequent enforced disappearances — even as the accused were complying with judicial proceedings — describing it as the "worst example of oppression" by Pakistani authorities.

Scale of the Crackdown Since March

According to the BYC, since 18 March, following a state crackdown, hundreds of people were arrested and dozens of cases were registered against BYC leaders as well as several other individuals. The rights body added that many protesters were detained during demonstrations and subsequently implicated in multiple cases. While some of those arrested have been released on bail, they reportedly continue to appear in ongoing jail trials.

Enforced Disappearances Mid-Court Proceedings

The BYC highlighted two specific and alarming cases of enforced disappearance amid active judicial proceedings. Last week, a civilian identified as Miraj was reportedly forcibly disappeared from the provincial capital Quetta while appearing in court. Two days prior to the BYC's statement, Abdul Ghaffar Kheyzai was also allegedly disappeared while attending hearings connected to the same set of cases.

"This situation is extremely alarming. Subjecting such individuals — who have surrendered themselves to the law and are presenting themselves in judicial proceedings — to enforced disappearance is tantamount to the state itself rejecting its own courts. Furthermore, the pattern of harassing other members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee continues," the BYC stated.

BYC Leader Warns of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis

Addressing the people of Balochistan, Sabiha Baloch, a central leader of the BYC, called on residents to recognise the scale of what she described as a worsening humanitarian crisis in the province, which she said was aimed at erasing Baloch identity. She emphasised that such actions are intended to displace Baloch people from their own land, arguing that the root cause of the oppression is "the very identity inherited from their ancestors, which makes them rightful heirs of the land."

Sabiha Baloch also urged people not to forget the cases of Baloch women who have allegedly been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces, naming Mahjabeen, described as a polio patient missing for nearly a year; Nasreen, identified as a young child; and others including Haseena, Khadija, and Hair-un-Nisa — "all taken without any crime proven against them," according to the BYC.

A Call to Resist

In her concluding remarks, Sabiha Baloch warned that "silence and inaction will remain a lasting stain on their history" and called on the people of Balochistan to raise their voices, step forward, write, and resist. She stated that such brutality is being inflicted upon the Baloch people because of their courage to speak against atrocities, and that the vulnerable and elderly are increasingly being targeted in an attempt to assert power. The BYC's statement comes amid persistent international concern over enforced disappearances in Balochistan, a pattern that human rights groups have documented for over two decades.