Balochistan is the largest yet least developed and most neglected province of Pakistan. Although rich in natural resources, it continues to face issues of underdevelopment and poverty.  It has been plagued by issues of human rights violations, including restrictions on freedom of speech and expression, the blackout of internet services, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killing, media censorship, and the illegal detention of the human rights activists including members of the Baloch Yekjethi Committee (BYC) and Mahrang Baloch. All these issues have further added to the frustration and alienation among the people of the province.

Last year, a national gathering that was organized by the Baloch Yekjethi Committee (BYC) to protest the human rights violations had to face a violent crackdown and illegal arrest of its members. The gathering was aimed to highlight human rights violations in Balochistan, to bring into attention the socio-economic exploitation of the region, and to make the government accountable for such rights violation in the region. They alleged that the government had used brute force against the people and blocked roads to prevent them to reach Gwadar, where the gathering was going to be held.  The government authorities also imposed an internet shutdown on Gwadar.

In December 2023, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) organized a long march against the enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Balochistan. The march was instigated by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) forces’s alleged extra-judicial killing of 24 year-old Balaach Mullah Bakhsh and three others. The protesters walked 1000 miles from Turbat to Islamabad. During the march, even in the severe cold, they had to face tactics by the government authorities such as the use of tear gas, violence, and suppressing their voices.

These crackdowns on human rights activities and their arbitrary arrest violated Pakistan’s Constitution and international human rights obligation. The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the right to freedom to assembly peacefully under Article 16, the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19, and the right to a fair trial and due legal procedure under Article 10A of the Constitution. Per the Article (9), no person shall be deprived of life and liberty. Enforced disappearance of people violate several international human rights laws including the right to liberty, the right to recognition before the law, the right to a fair trial, the right to not to be submitted to torture, or/and ill-treatment, and the right to life (where a disappeared person is killed). This issue of enforced disappearances is alarming in Balochistan, where it has persisted for years and continues to affect it populace. According to the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) (2025) only in July 2025, 112 people have been forcibly disappeared. Out of these, 89 remains missing, 15 were released, 8 were extra-judicially killed in custody. (Report of the Human Rights Council Balochistan (URCB) on the Enforced Disappearances and Human Rights violation in Balochistan, July, 2025) https://hrcbalochistan.com/balochistan-112-forcibly-disappeared-49-killed-in-july-2025/

The National Assembly introduced the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill in 2021, which aimed to criminalize the offence of enforced disappearances. Although the bill was passed by the National Assembly in November 2021, it mysteriously went missing before being presented in the Senate.  This reflects the government’s lack of seriousness and political will to address the issue of enforced disappearances.

The most prominent human rights activist campaigning against enforced disappearances is Dr. Mahrang Baloch. She is at the forefront of the struggle against the enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killing of the people in Balochistan. However, she continues to face suppression and persecution and remains behind bars due to her struggle for the legitimate rights of the Baloch people.

In addition, the mainstream media has played a limited role in covering human rights abuses in the province. Its silence on these issues is alarming and has further aggravated the human rights situation in the region. Media outlets, particularly newspapers such as Daily Jang and Intekhab, have often adopted a biased approach in reporting human rights violations in Balochistan. They consistently portray the issue as a security concern and a threat to Pakistan’s legitimacy. As a result, social media has become the only platform available for the people to raise their voices. Media framing plays a significant role in shaping public opinion and influencing policy-making. When the media adopts a negative or biased stance, it can lead to widespread misperceptions and misconceptions about the situation in the region.

United Nations Human Rights (UNHR) experts have expressed concern over human rights violations in Balochistan, stating that measures to counter terrorism must always respect international human rights and humanitarian law. They have urged Pakistan to establish a mechanism to find people who have disappeared and hold perpetrators accountable. Moreover, they called on Pakistan to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, and have condemned the blackout of internet services in Balochistan, as it has impeded the freedom of information, speech, transparency, accountability, and civil space. The experts also condemned extra-judicial killings and illegal detention of human rights activists. (UNHR, 2025) https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/un-experts-urge-pakistan-address-human-rights-violations-balochistan

The issues in Balochistan are of a political nature and multifaceted. They require serious efforts on the part of the government to address, especially the underdevelopment of the region and human rights concerns, including the suppression of dissenting voices, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, illegal detentions, media censorship, and militarization of the region.

Pashtana Murad is a student of MPhil Political Science at the University of Punjab Lahore