Opinion | Human Rights Violations in Balochistan

Behind Pakistan’s silence, the Baloch suffer disappearances, honour killings, as families fight fear, loss, and oppression in an unending struggle for justice

Balochistan remains one of Pakistan’s most deprived and politically unstable regions. For decades, it has been caught in a cycle of neglect, unrest, and repression. Local communities continue to endure poverty, lack of basic services, and systematic human rights abuses, leaving them increasingly alienated from the state.

Reports from both local and international human rights organisations have long documented a grim pattern of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the violent suppression of peaceful dissent. Those targeted are often students, journalists, political activists, and ordinary citizens. Many are taken without warrants in the dead of night, never to be seen again. Others are found dead, and their grieving families face harassment, intimidation, and threats when they demand justice. This persistent climate of fear has silenced countless voices, eroding trust in state institutions.

Between 2024 and 2025, the scale of the crisis intensified. Districts such as Kech, Dera Bugti, and Awaran witnessed hundreds of disappearances. Families of the missing not only struggled with emotional trauma but also faced pressure to remain silent. Peaceful protests calling for the recovery of missing persons were frequently met with arrests, bans on public gatherings, and the use of excessive force. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a grassroots movement campaigning for the release of missing persons, reported that in the first half of 2025 alone, 752 people were forcibly disappeared and 117 were killed extrajudicially. Most of them were students, activists, and young men in their twenties.

On 8 July 2025, Amnesty International condemned what it described as a “vicious cycle of violence” in Balochistan. The organisation highlighted the misuse of legal provisions to arbitrarily detain peaceful activists and called on authorities to release all detained human rights defenders, including Gulzar and Mahrang Baloch. It also urged the government to conduct independent and transparent investigations into all reported cases of abduction and extrajudicial execution, stressing that such actions violate both Pakistan’s constitution and its international obligations.

Earlier that year, between March and May 2025, authorities launched an extensive crackdown on members of the BYC and other rights groups. On 21 March, police opened fire on peaceful protesters in Balochistan demanding the release of activist Bebarg Baloch, killing three people and injuring at least seven. In the early hours of 22 March, women human rights defenders Mahrang Baloch and Beebow Baloch were arrested from a sit-in in Quetta, denied access to lawyers and family members for hours. Two days later, BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch was arrested in Karachi during a peaceful demonstration. Although she was granted bail on 25 March, she was re-arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law a controversial provision often used to prolong detention without trial and was only released on 1 April after sustained public pressure.

The campaign of intimidation did not stop there. On 5 April, the father of WHRD Sabiha Baloch was detained, and his whereabouts remain unknown. On 30 March and 7 April, activists Shah Jee Sibghat Ullah and Gulzadi Baloch were also taken into custody. Throughout April and May, peaceful protests in Karachi and Quetta were disrupted through arbitrary arrests, charges of sedition, and prolonged detentions. Rights groups observed that authorities increasingly used the tactic of detaining relatives of activists as a form of collective punishment, aiming to dismantle the BYC’s network and discourage mobilisation.

In August 2025, large parts of Balochistan experienced mobile internet shutdowns, officially justified as a security measure. However, human rights organisations condemned the blackout, noting that it blocked communities from communicating, disrupted emergency services, hindered education, and prevented the sharing of evidence of ongoing abuses.

Military operations in certain districts have also claimed civilian lives. In Awaran district, a security operation resulted in the deaths of Hoori bint Qasim and another man, while a second woman was critically wounded. Witnesses reported that she was denied urgent medical treatment for several hours, further fuelling resentment towards state forces.

Gender-based violence remains another critical issue in the province, often compounded by patriarchal customs and the parallel justice system of tribal jirgas. On 4 June 2025, in Degari near Quetta, a young woman, Bano Bibi, and her partner, Ehsanullah Samalani, were killed in an “honour” crime sanctioned by a tribal council. The execution was filmed, and the video’s circulation sparked outrage across Pakistan. Sixteen people, including a tribal chief, were later arrested. Yet, rights advocates fear such cases will continue unless jirgas are dismantled and perpetrators face justice in formal courts.

A month later, in July 2025, Mastung district saw another tragedy when a pregnant woman and her husband were murdered by her brothers, despite earlier assurances of reconciliation between the families. The woman was carrying their second child. The Aurat Foundation has repeatedly emphasised that “honour” killings persist because of entrenched patriarchal norms, weak law enforcement, and a culture of impunity.

National and international rights organisations including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, have called for a comprehensive policy shift. Their demands include ending enforced disappearances, ensuring independent investigations into all allegations of abuse, abolishing the misuse of anti-terrorism and public order laws against peaceful protesters, and guaranteeing witness protection for victims’ families. They also urge the dismantling of parallel justice systems such as jirgas, which often legitimise violence against women and minorities.

The continued unrest in Balochistan has implications far beyond the province itself. Political instability and human rights violations undermine the success of major infrastructure projects such as the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar Port, both seen as key drivers of Pakistan’s economic future. Without addressing the grievances of local communities, such projects risk becoming symbols of exploitation rather than development.

For many families, the struggle remains deeply personal. They seek the safe return or confirmed fate of their loved ones, prosecution of those responsible regardless of rank, fair representation in governance, and greater control over their natural resources. Activists stress that restoring communication services, expanding education and healthcare, and empowering women politically are essential steps towards building trust and ending decades of alienation.

Balochistan’s future remains uncertain. While crackdowns, internet shutdowns, and targeted harassment persist, so too does the resilience of its people. High-profile cases such as those of Bano Bibi, the Mastung couple, and the hundreds of disappeared in 2025 have brought renewed attention to the crisis. Whether this momentum will translate into lasting change will depend on the persistence of domestic activism and sustained international pressure. Until then, the province remains trapped in a cycle where grief and defiance walk side by side.

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