Baloch Women's Forum condemns crackdown on Gwadar conference, alleging rights violations and state suppression

Balochistan [Pakistan] July 28 (ANI): The leadership of the Baloch Women's Forum strongly denounced efforts to disrupt what they termed a peaceful conference in Gwadar, the unlawful detention of women, and the suppression of political activities during a press briefing at Turbat Press Club on Sunday, as reported by The Balochistan Post (TBP).
Forum representatives stated that a one-day conference was planned at the Gwadar Press Club on July 27 to discuss Baloch political participation, enforced disappearances, arrests, and state oppression. To prepare for this event, awareness campaigns, wall chalking, and public outreach were being conducted in Gwadar and the surrounding regions. However, institutions reportedly imposed barriers to hinder this constitutional event, as highlighted by the TBP report.
They indicated that female activists from the forum were arrested by police without any lawful grounds and taken to the Women's police station in Gwadar, where they allegedly experienced inhumane and unprofessional treatment, along with insults.
The press conference revealed that during their detention, activists faced pressure to cancel the conference, and when they refused, they were forcefully moved from Gwadar to Turbat, which the forum described as a serious infringement of civil liberties.
Forum leaders expressed that each time Baloch women assert their rights with political awareness, attempts are made to silence them through informal powers and hidden regulations, as stated by TBP.
The Baloch Women's Forum emphasised that the July 27 conference aimed to engage in democratic and intellectual discussions regarding Baloch political participation; however, state oppression has once again demonstrated that democracy in Balochistan is exclusive to the elite.
The press conference also mentioned that the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, the National Democratic Party, and other civil organisations are currently enduring a harsh state crackdown, with their activists being detained without warrants and their political endeavours being labelled as unlawful under the guise of national security.
The Baloch Women's Forum affirmed that their struggle is constitutional, democratic, and a continuation of the historical Baloch resistance. "We will not yield to this oppression but will persist with our efforts in a more coordinated and organised fashion," they proclaimed, as quoted by the TBP report.
The forum urged the state to grant the Baloch people their fundamental human, political, and social rights, and to acknowledge their civil status. They also called on international press bodies and human rights organisations to pay attention to the ongoing "oppression" occurring in Balochistan.
The Baloch Women's Forum reiterated that they would not forsake their constitutional struggle and Baloch interests under any circumstances, and they plan to intensify their efforts further, as reported by TBP. (ANI)