Pakistan: Activist Sammi Deen Baloch condemns state harassment of student activist

Quetta [Pakistan], May 20 (ANI): In a troubling development from Balochistan, activist Sammi Deen Baloch has raised alarm over the attempted arrest of a young activist, Mahzaib Baloch, during her school examination.
In a statement posted on X, Sammi revealed that police and law enforcement agencies surrounded the Hub Chowki examination centre in an apparent attempt to detain Mahzaib. However, swift action by those present at the exam centre enabled her safe escape.
According to the post, Mahzaib has been actively raising her voice for several years against the enforced disappearance of her uncle, Rashid Hussain Baloch. She has consistently joined protest demonstrations and sit-ins alongside families of missing persons in Balochistan, demanding justice.
As a result of her peaceful activism, Mahzaib has reportedly faced repeated harassment, including being dragged through the streets, arrested multiple times, imprisoned, and falsely charged in several cases.
Sammi Deen Baloch condemned the recent incident as a clear indication that state institutions now perceive the families of forcibly disappeared persons as a threat.
"In Balochistan, raising a voice against enforced disappearances has become such a 'crime' that even children are being targeted," Sammi stated. She emphasised that the state's attempt to silence peaceful dissent through intimidation and force is not only ongoing but escalating.
In earlier remarks, Sammi drew parallels between the situation in Balochistan and that in other marginalised regions. "Just as the state is pursuing a systematic policy of genocide against the Baloch nation, a similar pattern of state brutality and violence continues in Pashtun lands as well," she said.
She further added that oppressed nationalities across the region, including Baloch, Pashtun, and others, are facing severe state repression marked by enforced disappearances of political leaders, extrajudicial killings, and military operations disguised as security efforts.
Sammi also pointed to the regular shelling of civilian populations with mortar fire and the use of drone strikes, actions she called "clear violations of human rights." Her statements highlight the growing concern among activists and civil society groups about the intensifying crackdown on dissent in Balochistan and other regions. (ANI)