BYC slams Pakistan over Kalat eviction order, calls it collective punishment
Synopsis
Pakistan's Assistant Commissioner of Kalat issued an order on 20 September directing residents of four areas to vacate by 28 September. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has denounced it as collective punishment and part of a genocidal pattern — citing prior displacements in Shadi Kor and Mastung — and is demanding its immediate withdrawal.
Key Takeaways
The Assistant Commissioner of Kalat issued an eviction order on 20 September , directing residents of Shor Parod , Khalili , Khalkhti , and Shoki to vacate by 28 September .
Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has condemned the order as “collective punishment” and “genocidal policy” against Baloch civilians.
The BYC cited earlier forced displacements in Shadi Kor and Mastung as part of the same wider pattern.
The committee has called for the immediate withdrawal of the eviction order and demanded protection for the local population.
Pakistani authorities had not publicly responded to the BYC's condemnation as of 23 September .
Human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has strongly condemned an order issued by Pakistani authorities directing residents in Balochistan's Kalat district to vacate their homes, describing the move as part of an ongoing policy of “state repression, collective punishment, and genocidal policy” against Baloch civilians. The condemnation came on 23 September, days after the directive was first issued.
The Eviction Order
According to the BYC, an order issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Kalat on 20 September directed the local population to vacate the areas of Shor Parod, Khalili, Khalkhti, and Shoki by 28 September. The rights body said the directive amounted to forcibly displacing an entire community from their ancestral lands with no adequate justification.
“Forcibly displacing an entire population from their ancestral lands, homes, and livelihoods is not merely an administrative measure but a direct assault on the lives, identity, and presence of the local population on their own territory,” the BYC stated.
BYC's Characterisation of the Policy
The committee argued that the eviction went far beyond a routine administrative relocation, framing it as a deliberate instrument of fear and suppression. “Holding an entire population accountable for the actions of an individual or group constitutes collective punishment, and when this same practice takes the form of continuously displacing a population with a specific national identity, stripping them of their economic resources, and dismantling their social fabric, it becomes linked to the broader process of genocide,” the BYC said.
The BYC further warned that uprooting communities from settlements where “homes, lands, livelihoods, and generational lives are tied is not just rendering them homeless but consigning them to a slow death.”
A Pattern of Displacement, BYC Says
Citing earlier forced displacements in Shadi Kor and Mastung, the BYC argued that the Kalat order is part of a wider pattern of oppression by Pakistani authorities that has repeatedly deprived ordinary Baloch people of their homes, land, livelihoods, and normal lives. The committee described the purpose of such measures as being “not merely to displace people but to instil fear, silence questions, break collective resistance, and enforce submission upon a subjugated population.”
Notably, rights groups and analysts have documented a series of similar actions across Balochistan over the past several years, though Pakistani authorities have consistently denied targeting civilian populations as a matter of policy.
BYC's Demands
The BYC unequivocally rejected the forced eviction order and called for its immediate withdrawal. It demanded that the local population be protected and granted the right to live freely, with dignity, and safely in their homes and ancestral areas. “The people of Balochistan cannot be silenced through collective punishment. A policy of severing a nation from its land, identity, and collective life cannot be normalised,” the committee stressed.
As of this report, Pakistani authorities had not issued a public response to the BYC's condemnation, and it remains to be seen whether the 28 September deadline will be rescinded or enforced.
Point of View
Mastung, and now four villages in Kalat — that share a common characteristic: entire communities bearing consequences for alleged militant activity. The BYC's use of the word ‘genocide’ is legally loaded and contested, but the underlying pattern of repeat forced displacement is verifiable and demands independent scrutiny. Pakistan's consistent silence in the face of such condemnations only deepens the credibility deficit. The 28 September deadline makes this a live crisis, not a historical grievance, and international human rights bodies have yet to apply meaningful pressure.
NationPress
23 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kalat eviction order issued by Pakistan?
It is a directive issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Kalat on 20 September , ordering residents of four areas — Shor Parod, Khalili, Khalkhti, and Shoki — in Balochistan's Kalat district to vacate their homes by 28 September . No official justification was publicly provided alongside the order.
Who is the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC)?
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) is a human rights and civil society organisation that advocates for the rights of the Baloch people and has been a vocal critic of what it describes as state repression in Balochistan. It has previously documented and condemned forced displacements and enforced disappearances in the region.
Why does the BYC call the eviction order 'collective punishment'?
The BYC argues that holding an entire civilian population accountable for the alleged actions of individuals or armed groups — and forcibly removing them from their ancestral lands — meets the definition of collective punishment under international humanitarian norms. The committee also links repeated such displacements of a specific national group to a broader genocidal process.
Has Pakistan responded to the BYC's condemnation?
As of 23 September , Pakistani authorities had not issued a public response to the BYC's condemnation. It remains unclear whether the 28 September eviction deadline will be enforced or withdrawn.
Is this the first such displacement in Balochistan?
No. The BYC cited prior forced displacements in Shadi Kor and Mastung as part of the same pattern. Rights groups have documented multiple similar incidents across Balochistan over several years, though Pakistani authorities have denied any systematic targeting of civilians.
