“Freedom of expression and nonviolent protests are prohibited in Pakistan”: Mahrang Baloch

Balochistan: Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch stated on Saturday that Pakistan has completely banned free speech and nonviolent demonstrations, citing a recent instance of a peaceful sit-in that resulted in a family-targeted FIR from the Hub police.

“The state of Pakistan has imposed a complete ban on freedom of expression and peaceful protest,” Mahrang Baloch wrote on X, sharing photos of the nonviolent sit-in. The Hub police filed a formal complaint when the family of Zubair Baloch, a student at Balochistan University, organized a nonviolent sit-in to seek his recovery. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) members, Zubair’s family, especially his 15-year-old sister @mahanbaloch370, and political activists, including women, are the targets of the FIR.

In the same vein, after their nonviolent sit-in in Kalat, the SHO of City Police Station Kalat filed a second FIR against the family of Akhtar Shah, a victim of enforced disappearance, and a BYC activist. In an effort to quell their protest, the authorities have threatened and intimidated the family, who are calling for Akhtar Shah’s release,” she said.

Mahrang Baloch also denounced the state’s actions, saying that rather than dealing with enforced disappearances, the administration is criminalizing nonviolent demonstrations and stifling the Baloch people’s struggle for justice by instilling fear. “These actions expose the state’s fascist tactics,” she said.

The persecution of Balochistan by Pakistan was previously denounced by Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch on ‘X,’ who called it a “colony where oppression and barbarity are enforced instead of constitution and law.”

Her comments draw attention to the growing Baloch “genocide” policy that has caused unrest in the area. Families and communities are holding sit-ins around Balochistan to call for justice for those killed in extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances.

Notably, the popular demand for their fundamental right to live freely on their own land is reflected in the wave of demonstrations that has swept over Balochistan. The Pakistani government has shown little desire to address the problems of the Baloch people, despite decades of state-sponsored brutality, enforced disappearances, and institutional indifference.

Human rights groups and activists have long charged Pakistan with carrying out a covert genocide in Balochistan. While the inhabitants of the area endure terrible poverty, relocation, and repression, the country’s abundant natural riches have been exploited for decades.

The terrible circumstances in Balochistan, where human rights abuses occur on a daily basis, must be brought to the attention of the world community. Pakistan’s actions in the province, which stand in sharp contrast to its promises of preserving democracy and the rule of law, are coming under increasing criticism as the demonstrations become more intense.

The fight for justice and autonomy in Balochistan continues to be a call to action for international engagement and a stark critique of Pakistan’s repressive tactics.