A complete shutter-down strike was observed in several parts of Pakistan on Jan 3, 2024 to protest the extrajudicial killings and forced disappearance of the Baloch people and the government's failure to meet the ultimatum of seven days to resolve the matter as demanded by Baloch activist Dr Mahrang Baloch.

The strike followed the 41st day of the movement organized by the Baloch Yakjeti Committee (BYC). The BYC said they were disappointed by the Pakistan government's “half-hearted commitment” to the Baloch people and for dismissing the atrocities against the Baloch as mere propaganda. The caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwarul-haq-Kakar, called the strike an “irresponsible and a provocative” effort meant to mislead the masses against the State of Pakistan.

The “Stop Baloch Genocide” movement was sparked in Pakistan by the killing of Balach Maula Bakhsh and three other Baloch youths in what was considered to be an extra-judicial killing by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Pakistani police. It was reported that the individuals were previously abducted by the police and were held in custody.

In response, the CTD stated that the Baloch youths were initially presented before the court and were later handed to the police for physical remand. However, according to the CTD, Balach along with Wadood Baloch, Saif Baloch and Shakoor Baloch were killed in an "encounter" before the next court hearing. The claim of the forced abduction was disputed by the CTD, but the Baloch community remains convinced of the illegal detention and the extrajudicial killing of the four youths.

According to various media sources, several Baloch families, whose members have been reported missing and allegedly abducted by the police, now are apprehensive of a similar fate to their family members. There is an outcry for curbing CTD and demands for holding the officials from the Pakistani police responsible for the deaths of the Baloch.

The Long March

In an interview, the father of Balach Baloch confirmed that his son was arrested by the Frontier Constabulary and CTD and was killed in a "fake encounter".  This incident from November 2023 fuelled a massive conflagration which culminated in a nationwide “Long Baloch March” to Islamabad. A large number of Baloch activists marched to Islamabad in December 2023,  covering a distance of 1,600 km from Turbat (district in Balochistan), to protest the “enforced disappearances” and “genocide”of  the Baloch people.

The march, which included an unusually large number of women whose men were killed or taken away, made its way to Islamabad via Quetta, Dukki, Kohlu, Rakhni, Dera Ghazi Khan and Taunsa Sharif and Dera Ismael Khan. During the march, several Baloch activists were detained as clashes broke out between the protesters and the police at several places.

The law enforcement authorities in Islamabad responded to the protesters with force, as water cannons and tear gas were employed to disperse the protesters. Several areas in Islamabad from China Chowk Underpass, Chongi No. 26, the Islamabad Chowk, Jinnah Avenue, Nazimuddin Road, and Srinagar Highway were blockaded and civilian movement along these routes prohibited. The treatment of the protesters by the police received much criticism as the videos of the protesters being brutally assaulted by the police went viral on social media.

The negotiations between the law enforcement officers and the protesters fell through, resulting in a “sit-in” near Islamabad Chowk. The Baloch protesters demand the CTD and the state-sponsored "death squads"  be disarmed and a UN-monitored committee be set up to study Baloch demands, including fair investigation into mounting case of the missing, displaced and abducted Baloch, especially its youth.

Suspected Chinese involvement

In response to the protests, a three-member committee was formed by caretaker PM Kakar to mediate the talks with the protesters. However, no acceptable solution has been found.

The cases of missing Baloch and the alleged extra-judicial killings have rapidly increased since 2005. The state-sponsored 'kill and dump policy' has not only led to a change in the demography of Balochistan but also resulted in growing disaffection in the Baloch community who are subjected to persistent subjugation at the hands of the Pakistan State.

According to the Baloch, the Pakistani government is the illegal occupier of their land, who in turn are responsible for exploiting the rich resources of Balochistan by wiping out the Baloch identity. The cause for apprehension also stems from the growing numbers of Chinese migrants and workers, who the Baloch feel will settle in Balochistan and change the demography of the border province. The Pakistani government, in order to boost the productivity of the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan 
Economic Corridor (CPEC), has also tried to relocate the Baloch community from the province and in exchange has tried to settle Chinese engineers and workers in the area. With the Balochs feeling alienated in their homeland, the resentment towards the Pakistani government and military has given birth to a chain of insurgencies.

In 2021, Major Gen Ayman Bilal from the Pakistani military bluntly stated of being on a Chinese assignment for six months to squash the Baloch movement that resulted in a string of Baloch disappearances and extra-judicial killings. Pakistan’s harsh treatment of the Baloch has become a part of its state policy. 

Interestingly, the government established a Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, which remains active today, as a smokescreen to hide its brutal actions. On the basis of the reports presented by the Commission, a detailed report is presented by Pakistan for assessment by the UN Human Rights Commission. The Commission had received 9,967 cases of missing people till August 2023, of which  2,708 belonged to Balochistan. Besides the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, another agency called Federal Task Force on Missing Persons was also established in 2013.

State-sponsored repression

The hypocrisy of setting up these commission/task forces lies in the fact that these entities claim to provide a solution to the very problem that is a creation of the State itself. In his book “Faith, Unity, Discipline”, Hein G. Kiessling has produced statements, which he said were sent to him by Pakistan’s ISI, acknowledging the policy of enforced disappearances.

In 2005, then army chief, General Pervez Musharraf,  threatened the agitating Baloch stating in a televised address to Pakistan “We will hit them from a place, they might not know even”. The threat was backed by the siege of Dera Bugti town by the Special Services Group (SPG) of Pakistan. Heavy artillery was deployed into the area. The city was reduced to rubble with 72 Baloch reported dead and many left badly wounded. The incident followed resistance against the Pakistani military under Nawab Muhammed Akbar Khan Bugti, a veteran Baloch nationalist. He was later killed in a gun battle between his resistance and the Pakistani military, which was later commended by Pervez Musharaf as a "great feat".

In August 2006, 32 comrades of Nawab Muhammad Akbar khan Bugti went missing and they are presumed dead. No information was disclosed on them, with the files still remaining classified.  Further control of the Baloch territory under the Pakistani military was initiated to isolate the area.

Extensive expansion of army cantonments of Quetta, Khuzdar, Sibi, Loralai and Turbat was done following the policy of Balochistan's containment with establishment of new cantonments in Sui, Kohlu and Gwadar. Reports of use of jet bombers of the Pakistan Air Force targeting rebellious Baloch settlements has also emerged. There was also a report of a naval operation against Baloch militants from the Jinnah Naval Base at Gwadar port. 

Units of Frontier Constabulary were also deployed in every village and town to maintain control over the Baloch citizens. The Baloch National Human Rights Council spoke of “more than 300,000 of FC  men”  were deployed in Balochistan,  which  meant   1  soldier for every  10  Baloch in the area. 

Terror outfits funded against Baloch

A state-sponsored private militia was also utilized to eliminate the Baloch nationalists. According to Baloch National Council for Human Right Peace  Force,  Tehrek-e-Nifaz-e-aman,  Musalah  Difai Tanzeem and  Mutahida  Mahaz  were some of the state -sponsored anti-Baloch terror  outfits, while others like Laskar-e-Jhangavi and Sipah-e-Muhammad were also funded to carry out systematic attacks against the Baloch.

Mussalah Difai Tanzeem (MDT), another outfit notorious for the smuggling rings, extortions and kidnappings, also played a vital role in acting as the ISI watchdogs to maintain surveillance of the Baloch individuals.

Tehreek-e-Nifaz-Aman (TENA), under the command of Mullah Shafique, has allegedly carried out targeted killings in Khuzdar region. Armed with their torture cells in the Harambo Hills, the outfit had claimed to have done abductions and targeted killings, including of minors, as directed by the Pakistani army.  Apart from the boastful claims made by the outfit, the interesting point to be noted is their effectiveness at using sophisticated weaponry and their easy access to the AK-47s , which has undoubtedly become available to them through state sponsors.

While most outfits in alliance with the state are maintaining strict business ideologies in barter, other outfits such as Lashkar-e-Jhangavi (a Sunni outfit) and Sipah-e-Muhammed (a Shia outfit)are known to act as a counter to their Sunni rivals such as Lashkar-e-Jhangavi. These rivalries present the ISI with the opportunity to exploit the groups, control them and use them against 'anti-state' elements.

Judicial questioning disappearances

In November 2023, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court took umbrage at the absence of  interim Prime Minister Kakar who was unable to present himself before the court to present the progress report detailing the recovery of 50 missing Baloch students.

The court order stated that it was “disturbing that state institutions were accused of [the] forced disappearance of Baloch students. The government of Pakistan, which was responsible for protecting the rights of citizens, was not able to stop these human rights violations”. In an embarrassing turn of events, the court order also stated: “Should we send this issue to the United Nations? Should we humiliate our own country?”

While Pakistani human rights activists and supporters have been no doubt been addressing concerns over the forced disappearances of Baloch activists, Islamabad continues to blame foreign powers such as India for fuelling unrest in its southwestern province, the country's largest. The judiciary, media, human rights activists and Baloch nationalist parties have almost exhausted their efforts in trying to persuade international institutions to intervene and end the sustained atrocities against the people of Balochistan.It would be instructive for Pakistan to set its house in order by genuinely addressing Baloch grievances without alienating them or steamrolling them into submission, a strategy that can have devastating consequences for itself and the region at large. 

(The writer is an Indian research analyst specializing in AF/Pak region and counter-terrorism. Views are personal. She can be contacted at aparnarawal@gmail.com)