Khuzdar witnessed a tense escalation as Pakistani forces allegedly opened fire on protesters demonstrating against the harassment and detention of women activists from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The women were detained for wall-chalking in support of the Baloch Raji Muchi, a gathering organized by Baloch Yakjehti Committee advocating for Baloch unity and rights.
In a video of the incident posted on social media, the security forces can be seen manhandling the protesters and firing indiscriminate shots to disperse the crowd. The protesters can be heard chanting slogans against the Baloch ‘genocide’, calling for an end to enforced disappearances and the brutality of the security forces. Baloch women can be seen running around, trying to prevent the security forces from detaining their male fellow protesters.
A few days earlier, the Pakistani forces reportedly surrounded and detained BYC members, including activists Saira Baloch and Sadia Baloch, sisters of enforced disappearance victims Asif and Rasheed, along with other women on Khand Road in Khuzdar. Following these detentions, Khuzdar residents took to the streets, eventually forcing the release of Saira, Sadia, and the other detained women after four hours of resistance.
The BYC leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch emphasized the importance of unity among the Baloch people, transcending artificial divisions created by ‘colonial’ and conspiratorial agendas. She called on the Baloch people to participate in the Baloch Raji Muchi on July 28 in Gwadar, asserting that it is a national duty to demonstrate their commitment to Baloch identity and resistance.
Dr. Mahrang highlighted the critical need for the Baloch people to rise, unite, and prove to the world that they will no longer tolerate ‘genocide’ on their land. She said the the Baloch Raji Muchi presents a historic opportunity to set aside differences and stand as one nation. Failure to seize this moment, she warned, would have dire consequences for the Baloch people, while collective action would ensure their national survival.