Baloch yakjehti committee
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| بلۏچ یکجهتی کمیٹی Baloch Unity Committee | |
| Abbreviation | BYC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2020 |
| Type | Human rights advocacy group |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Advocacy of human rights in Balochistan |
Region served | Balochistan, Pakistan |
Central Organizer | Dr. Mahrang Baloch[1] |
Formerly called | Bramsh Solidarity Committee |
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC; Balochi: بلۏچ یکجهتی کمیٹی; lit. 'Baloch Unity Committee') or Balochistan Yakjehti Committee ('Balochistan Unity Committee'),[2] is a human rights advocacy group established in response to alleged state oppression in Balochistan. Founded in 2020 as the Bramsh Solidarity Committee (برمش یکجهتی کمیٹی), it was named after Bramsh Baloch, a young girl injured during a violent incident in Turbat that resulted in her mother's death. Led by Mahrang Baloch, the BYC focuses on human rights abuses in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, often facing crackdowns from Pakistani authorities.[3]
Background
[edit]Balochistan, despite being rich in natural resources, remains the poorest province in Pakistan. The Baloch community alleges neglect and exploitation by the Government of Pakistan, fueling separatist sentiments. Since 1947, the province has witnessed multiple rebellion movements, with the latest wave beginning in the early 2000s, demanding a larger share of resources and even complete independence.[4]
The BYC was founded following the attack in Turbat on the night of May 26, 2020, which resulted in the death of a Baloch woman, Malik Naz, and injuries to her four-year-old daughter, Bramsh. During the home invasion, three armed men jumped into their house while the family was sleeping under the open sky to escape the heat. The intruders demanded money and valuables, and when Malik Naz resisted, she was shot on the spot. Bramsh, who was also shot during the attack, was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery for her injuries.
This incident sparked protests initially in Turbat and later across Balochistan under the banner of "Bramsh Yakjehti Committee" or "Bramsh Solidarity Committee." The protests drew attention to the alleged support for armed gangs by higher authorities, demanding justice and accountability for the perpetrators.[5]
Activities
[edit]The BYC gained prominence through various organized protests and campaigns addressing a range of issues. Following the shooting and killing of Hayat Baloch, a student from the University of Karachi, by Frontier Corps personnel in August 2020, the BYC organized widespread protests.[6] In December 2020, the BYC played a crucial role in campaigning against the alleged murder of an exiled political leader Karima Baloch in Canada, who was believed by the activists to have been assassinated by the Pakistani state.[7]
In 2021, the BYC organized protests against the killing of minors in Hoshab, Kech District, by Frontier Corps mortar shells. The tragic deaths led to protests staged with the victims' bodies in Turbat, which then spread to Quetta and other areas.
In 2023, the BYC launched campaigns to protest the arbitrary detention of Mahal Baloch by the Counter Terrorism Department of the police in Quetta,[8] the assassination of Rauf Baloch by religious extremists in Turbat, and the state’s alleged use of religious extremism to undermine the BYC movement.[9]
2023 Baloch Long March
[edit]In December 2023, the BYC organized the Baloch Long March, a 1,600-kilometer peaceful protest journeying from Turbat to Islamabad, to demand justice for the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of Baloch people. Despite facing near-freezing temperatures, nearly 400 Baloch protesters, half of them women and children, staged a month-long sit-in outside the National Press Club of Islamabad to demand justice for their missing and murdered family members.
The protest was sparked by the extrajudicial killing of Balach Mola Baksh, a 20-year-old from Turbat. Balach was abducted from his home on the night of October 29 by men in civilian clothes, suspected to be security officials, and was later killed in custody after a staged encounter by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Pakistan. Najma Mola Baksh, Balach's sister, also participated in the protest to seek justice for her brother and others. Najma said, "Even though I know I am not going to get justice here, but I will not leave till we get justice for all the other families who lost their loved ones, those who were killed or abducted by the state."[10]
The protest was met with repeated harassment, arbitrary arrests, and disinformation campaigns by Pakistani authorities, including shelling and filing sedition cases against BYC leaders like Mahrang Baloch. Amnesty International condemned the severe crackdown on peaceful protesters. Despite the state's attempts to suppress the movement, the BYC presented a five-point charter of demands, including the formation of a United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate rights violations by security forces in Balochistan and the dismantling of CTD and other "death squads supported by the state agencies."[10][2][11]
2024 Baloch Raji Muchi
[edit]The Baloch Raji Muchi ("Baloch National Gathering"), organized by the BYC, began on July 28, 2024, in Gwadar. This initiative advocated for the protection of Baloch people's civil, political, and economic rights and sought to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
On July 27, 2024, the Frontier Corps, a Pakistani paramilitary force, fired on participants traveling to the Gwadar gathering, injuring 14 individuals. Authorities imposed blockades and a public assembly ban in Quetta to restrict movement. The next day, security forces killed at least three protesters and injured dozens more in Gwadar and Talar. On July 29, police used tear gas to disperse crowds, detaining key organizers, including Sammi Deen Baloch, Sabghatullah Shah, and Dr. Sabiha Baloch.[12]
Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti criticized the protests, claiming they aimed to disrupt development in the province. In contrast, rights groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the violent crackdowns and called for the immediate release of detained protesters.[4][12][13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Meet Mahrang Baloch, young activist heading a 'revolution' against Pakistani Army - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. January 30, 2024.
- ^ a b "Protesters and military in standoff in Pakistani city home to China-built port". Voice of America. July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Baloch activist appeals rights organisations after crackdown by Pak military".
- ^ a b "Why protest by ethnic Baloch has put Pakistan's key port of Gwadar on edge". Al Jazeera. July 31, 2024.
- ^ "Balochistan Erupts in Protests Over a Murdered Mother and Her Injured 4-Year-Old". thediplomat.com.
- ^ Zafar, Mohammad (January 20, 2021). "Court awards death sentence to FC soldier". The Express Tribune.
- ^ Rahim Dad, Hazaran (July 18, 2021). "A Baloch 'National Gathering' Against Enforced Disappearances and Human Rights Abuses". The Wire.
- ^ "Pakistan: End Arbitrary Detention Of Mahal Baloch". www.amnesty.org.uk.
- ^ "Pakistan: Locals rally in protest against killing of teacher in Balochistan's Turbat". The Print. August 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "'Kill and dump policy': Baloch protest man's custodial murder in Pakistan". Al Jazeera. January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan: Amnesty International condemns harassment faced by Baloch protestors in Islamabad". Amnesty International. January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Pakistan: Repeated punitive crackdowns on Baloch protests must end". Amnesty International. July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Pakistan: Respect rights in response to Balochistan march". Human Rights Watch. July 31, 2024.