“Sit-in protest to continue in Balochistan until release of arrested people”: Baloch activist Mahrang

Quetta [Balochistan], July 29 (ANI): After thousands of Baloch people gathered near Gwadar port city on Sunday for the Baloch National Gathering, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch saluted the courage and bravery of the people and said that the sit-in will continue until the release of arrested participants.

In a post on X, she said, which roughly translates to, “My brave, determined and intelligent Balochs, first of all, I wholeheartedly salute your courage, bravery, discipline, courage and consciousness. Today, you people have given a message not only to the state of Pakistan but to the whole world that the state’s guns and power are a pile of dust in front of the people. Today, your bravery and courage have buried the pride of this state.”

Pakistani security forces attacked the sit-in protest in front of the University of Balochistan and abducted 12 women and more than 50 men from the Baloch National Gathering, according to BYC.

The BYC leader further said, “The sit-in will continue until all our convoys reach Gwadar safely and the release of all our arrested participants. For this, we are ready to bear all kinds of pain and make sacrifices. I request all those people, associations, political organizations and parties who are morally supporting Baloch Raji Machi to prove their support in practice now,” Mahrang Baloch said on X.

She further said that the spirit of victory has been seen in people, which is enough to defeat the tyrants and oppressors. She said, “Today we have seen a public sea on the beach of Padzir Gwadar, with excitement and passion in its eyes. They are innocent and peaceful but more powerful than the atomic bomb of this state. And today, we have seen the spirit of victory in the eyes of this people and this spirit is enough to defeat the tyrants, oppressors and murderers.”

Remarking on the morale and spirit of the Baloch people, Mahrang Baloch added, “Baloch Raj Machi is currently going on in the form of sit-in in Padzir Gwadar and there are thousands of armed state forces on one side and peaceful Baloch people on the other side. And in front of the gunmen, the morale and spirit of the Baloch people is as high as Mount Batil.”

Urging the people to reach Gwadar, she said, “I have come to give you this short message to reach Gwadar in maximum numbers. National and human rights can be achieved only through a grand struggle of people’s resistance. Gwadar is our land, we have the right to hold a national assembly on every part of our land, no power in the world can take away this right from us.”

The Baloch community has endured profound suffering from severe human rights abuses. Enforced disappearances are a critical issue, where individuals are seized by the state or associated forces without legal charges, leaving families in anguishing uncertainty and often subjecting victims to brutal torture.

Extrajudicial killings worsen the situation, targeting activists and critics without fair legal proceedings, instilling widespread fear and quashing dissent.

Torture and mistreatment in detention are widespread, with victims enduring physical and psychological abuse to extract confessions or suppress opposition.

Arbitrary detentions are also common, disrupting lives and fostering a pervasive atmosphere of fear. Additionally, there is significant suppression of free speech, including harassment and censorship of journalists and activists, which stifles public debate and accountability.