Pakistan's war on dissent: BYC leaders' imprisonment lays bare state brutality in Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], October 17 (ANI) Pakistan's repression of peaceful Baloch voices has intensified, with senior leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Sabiha Baloch, condemning the continued incarceration of Mahrang Baloch and other activists as a blatant act of political vengeance. Sabiha said that the detained leaders have been held unlawfully for over six months, stripped of their basic rights and denied a fair judicial process, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
According to The Balochistan Post, Sabiha stated that the only "crime" committed by Mahrang Baloch and her colleagues was peacefully protesting against enforced disappearances and systemic violence in Balochistan. She added that their arrests were part of a deliberate attempt by the Pakistani state to silence dissent and suppress demands for justice.
Dr Sabiha condemned Pakistan's disregard for its international commitments, noting that the arbitrary detentions violated core principles of justice enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. She argued that such actions expose the government's fear of accountability and its ongoing campaign to crush legitimate political movements in the province.
Dr Sabiha also raised serious concerns about the conduct of court hearings being held within prison walls, asserting that this practice undermines transparency and judicial independence. She accused the authorities of manipulating the legal system through coercion and intimidation, turning courts into tools of political control rather than instruments of justice. Highlighting the resilience of her detained colleagues, Sabiha described Dr Mahrang Baloch and other BYC members as "voices of truth and courage" who represent the conscience of Balochistan. Their prolonged imprisonment, she said, symbolises not just legal injustice but a moral collapse of the state, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.
Concluding her statement, Sabiha urged international human rights organisations to take notice of Pakistan's systematic oppression of peaceful political activists and called for the immediate release of all detained BYC members, warning that silence would only embolden further abuses in Balochistan, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)