It’s a tense moment in Pakistan as the crackdown on Baloch activists keeps rolling on. As of March 25, 2025, police have nabbed two more leaders from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC)—Sami Deen and Lala Wahab—adding to the growing list of detentions tied to human rights protests in Balochistan. This comes hot on the heels of the arrest of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a big name in the fight for Baloch rights, and it’s stirring up a storm across the country.
Clashes in Quetta Spark National Outrage
The trouble kicked off in Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, where folks hit the streets outside the University of Balochistan last Friday. They were out there demanding the release of people they say have been snatched up by security forces—part of a long-running issue of “enforced disappearances” that’s plagued the region for years. Things turned ugly fast when police swooped in before dawn on Saturday, breaking up the sit-in with force. Three protesters ended up dead, and both sides are pointing fingers over who’s to blame. Now, with more arrests piling up, it’s clear the heat’s not dying down anytime soon.
Mahrang Baloch Behind Bars
Mahrang Baloch, who’s been a voice for the Baloch ever since her dad went missing back in 2009, was one of those hauled in during that raid. She’s been locked up in Hudda District Prison since Saturday, and her sister Nadia told reporters she looked “weak and stressed” after a quick visit on Monday. “She didn’t even know why they grabbed her,” Nadia said, adding that they’ve kept her lawyer out of the loop too. The BYC says it was a “brutal” move by the state, and they’re not backing down.
Decades-Long Struggle in Balochistan
Pakistan’s been wrestling with unrest in Balochistan for decades. The Baloch—a minority group in the southwest province near Afghanistan and Iran—say they’re getting a raw deal from Islamabad, with harassment, arrests, and worse. The government fires back that they’re just taking on separatist militants who attack soldiers and foreigners in a place loaded with oil, gas, and minerals. But the activists argue it’s regular people getting caught in the middle.
Condemnation from Human Rights Commission
Out in Karachi, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) isn’t staying quiet. They slammed the police for roughing up a peaceful BYC protest there, calling the arrests—including women—a “serious violation” of basic rights and democracy. “The state’s got to stop this heavy-handed stuff and let people speak,” they said in a statement, urging a real fix instead of more clashes.
Posts on X and local chatter say the arrests didn’t stop with Quetta. Sami Deen and Lala Wahab got picked up amid what some are calling an all-out push to shut down the movement. Protesters aren’t letting up, though—pictures show them holding signs with Mahrang’s face, demanding she and the others get sprung loose. “They’re trying to scare us into silence,” one activist told us, “but we’ve been through worse.” Amnesty International Office has also posted an official statement regarding this on X.
A Province in Perpetual Turmoil
This isn’t new for Balochistan. Groups like the Baloch Liberation Army have been hitting back hard lately—think train hijackings and shootouts—claiming the government’s bleeding the province dry while leaving them in the dust. Human rights folks say thousands have vanished or turned up dead over the years, and the numbers keep climbing. The UN’s even chimed in, with Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor saying she’s “very concerned” about Mahrang’s arrest.
For now, the streets are buzzing, and the jails are filling up. The BYC’s vowing to keep pushing, but with the police doubling down, it’s anyone’s guess how this ends. One thing’s for sure: the Baloch aren’t going anywhere quietly.