The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has declared a complete shutdown, protests, and sit-ins across Balochistan in response to the ongoing violence in Gwadar on the peaceful Baloch Raaji Muchi.
According to the committee’s spokesperson, Gwadar is currently suffering from severe brutality and violence at the hands of the Pakistani state. On Monday morning, the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps reportedly launched a vicious attack on the peaceful sit-in of the Baloch Raaji Muchi in Gwadar. The protest site was surrounded, and indiscriminate firing was initiated on the peaceful participants, resulting in multiple injuries, including women and children. The injured are now trapped by the Pakistani forces, with no access to hospitals or ambulances, the BYC said.
The spokesperson expressed grave concerns, fearing that many lives could be lost if the injured do not receive immediate medical attention. Hundreds of people have been forcibly disappeared from the protest site and the city of Gwadar, with several homes raided and vandalized. The spokesperson described the current situation in Gwadar as ‘catastrophic’, with thousands of lives at risk.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has called upon the Baloch people and all ‘oppressed’ communities to take to the streets immediately in protest against the severe brutality, oppression, and violence perpetrated by the Pakistani state in Gwadar. They have urged for a complete shutdown across Balochistan, with sit-ins and strikes across all districts, halting all activity in protest.
It should be noted that the Pakistani security forces are brutally cracking down on the peaceful gathering of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Gwadar. Concerningly, an assassination attempt on the lives of BYC leadership and organizers of the Baloch Raaji Muchi was foiled on Sunday night. The attackers, armed with pistols, were captured. In a video obtained by The Balochistan Post, one of the attackers confessed to being an agent of Pakistan’s Military Intelligence, sent by state authorities to assassinate Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other BYC leaders. Security forces reportedly demanded custody of the detained attackers, threatening dire consequences for the BYC leadership if they refused to hand them over.
A leaked audio recording of the deputy commissioner of Gwadar has been circulating on social media, where he can be heard making life threats to Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch, and other BYC leaders and organizers.
Meanwhile, the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters continues unabated in Gwadar. Security forces have reportedly set dozens of vehicles ablaze, causing significant material and life damage. Communication networks in the Makran region and other areas of Balochistan have been shut down, and Gwadar has reportedly been besieged from all directions, leaving the fate of people inside the city uncertain.
Security forces intercepted multiple convoys heading to Gwadar to prevent them from reaching the city. A BYC convoy was held up near Mastung, where forces opened fire on travelers and flattened vehicle tires. At least 14 people were injured in the violent episode, with several in critical condition.
The brutal crackdown on the Baloch Raaji Muchi has drawn significant criticism and condemnation toward the Pakistani state from within Pakistan and international human rights groups. Amnesty International condemned the harsh treatment of the BYC’s peaceful assembly, calling on the Pakistani state to end the communication and road blockade imposed on Gwadar. Baloch nationalist circles, prominent politicians, and human rights workers have also slammed the government’s inhumane response to the gathering, drawing parallels to the events of 1971 when East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, separated from Pakistan after a brutal civil war.