The Baloch Advocacy and Studies Center (BASC) expresses grave concern over the arbitrary detention of the leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and the serious risk of ill-treatment and torture in custody. We echo the urgent demands of BYC and other concerned individuals and organisations for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr Mahrang Baloch and other detained BYC leaders. We further call for an end to the ongoing state-led crackdown against BYC members and supporters.
The BYC is an organic social and human rights movement that has played a pivotal role in exposing the state’s policies of enforced disappearances, fake encounters, and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan. Their principled resistance has gained widespread support among Baloch people worldwide and drawn growing international attention.
Since its inception in 2021, BYC has been under the constant watch of the Pakistani state. After failing to discredit the movement through propaganda, the authorities have turned to coercion, violence, and repression. Since March 2025, BYC has faced an intensified crackdown, including arbitrary arrests, abductions, and extrajudicial killings, a flagrant violation of both domestic constitutional protections and international human rights obligations.
It is particularly alarming that the provincial government of Balochistan, subservient to the Pakistan military, has unlawfully amended the already flawed Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of Pakistan, a legislative matter that falls under federal jurisdiction. This amendment appears specifically designed to criminalise and suppress BYC’s peaceful and legitimate human rights activism.
The main leadership of BYC, Dr Mahrang Baloch, Beebo Baloch, Gulzadi, Bebagr Baloch, and Sabghtullah (Shah Ji), has been detained since March 2025 on fabricated charges. Initially held under the colonial-era Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, those charges were later withdrawn. They were subsequently brought before Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) and placed on a 10-day remand under sedition and terrorism charges, charges widely seen as politically motivated.
Following their court appearance, the BYC and family members raised serious concerns about the lack of information and access to the detainees. Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Beebo Baloch, and Gulzadi were transferred to Civil Lines Police Station, where authorities have denied visitation rights to both legal counsel and family members, despite explicit court orders permitting such access. The whereabouts of the male leaders, however, remain unknown.
In response, the families have launched a peaceful sit-in protest outside the Civil Lines Police Station in Quetta. We extend our full solidarity to them and stand firmly beside the families and the BYC. BASC is committed to bringing international attention to these unlawful actions, and we urge the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for its continued violations of human rights in Balochistan.