At least three people are dead and several injured after participants of a Balochistan Yakjehti Committee (BYC) protest clashed with security personnel in different areas of the province, on Sunday.

But despite roadblocks put in place by the authorities, a large number of people managed to make their way from across the province to Gwadar’s Marine Drive for the Baloch Rajee Muchi (Baloch National Gathering).

Sources told Dawn that two people were killed and as many injured after a convoy was stopped by the security forces at the Talar check-post. Officials claimed that security forces were trying to defend themselves against a mob that reportedly attacked the checkpost.

Additionally, one person lost their life and eight people were injured in clashes that erupted after authorities used teargas in an attempt to disperse people gathered on Marine Drive. At least 20 people were also arrested.

The death toll was confirmed by health authorities in Gwadar. “We have received three bodies and eight injured persons in the hospital,” a senior official told Dawn, adding that two of the injured were shifted to Turbat.

Dawn tried to contact Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove and Provincial Spokesperson Shahid Rind, but due to a communications blackout, they and other relevant officials could not be reached for comment.

Later, addressing the gathering in Gwadar, BYC leader Dr Mahrang Baloch and others vowed not to abandon their struggle for the rights of the Baloch people and the protection of the province’s resources.

Referring to the deaths of the people who arrived to attend the gathering, Mahrang said the killers of the Baloch people should be arrested and brought to justice.

She also demanded the release of the protesters detained by the security forces.

“Until the release of our people, the sit-in will continue at Marine Drive,” she announced.

Life derailed

Life in various areas of southern Balochistan, including Makran, came to standstill, with roads and highways leading to Gwadar blocked throughout the day.

There was no traffic on the Quetta-Karachi highway, either, as authorities blocked the road due to a sit-in in Mastung. The demonstration was held to protest the firing on a convoy of protesters a day earlier, which resulted in 14 people being injured.

A complete shutter-down strike was also observed in Mastung, Kalat, Noshki, Khuzdar, Noshki, Dalbandin, Awaran, Lasbela, Chagai, Nokundi, Gwadar, Turbat, and Pasni. Likewise, BYC activists also staged sit-ins on at least 14 locations along the highways and inter-provincial roads. In Quetta, roads leading towards the Red Zone were blocked and hundreds of police and levies officials were deployed for security.

Political support for BYC

Leaders of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) and the National Party condemned the use of force against the peaceful supporters of the BYC.

BNP leader Sajid Tareen Advocate said their party would also be participating in these protests. He pointed out that people in Gwadar were still demanding potable water, urging the government to allow peaceful protests. He said the Baloch and Pashtun people were being deliberately marginalised, leading to heightened tensions and pushing people towards armed resistance.

National Party leaders Aslam Baloch and Kalsoom Niaz Baloch held the Balochistan government, led by Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, responsible for the political instability in Balochistan.

Non-political forces are taking advantage of the current situation and the government is deliberately spreading unrest in Balochistan, they alleged. They claimed that a form of civil martial law was in place, and the “puppet government” was intentionally deteriorating the situation.

Separately, Amnesty International also called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately lift the internet shutdown in Balochistan, and fulfil its obligations under domestic and international human rights law to facilitate people’s right to peaceful protest by lifting the road blockades on the way to Gwadar to allow freedom of movement for protesters.

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Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the ongoing violence by Pakistan state forces against human rights defenders and peaceful protestors who gathered for the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar Balochistan on 28 July 2024. There are alarming reports of live bullets being fired at unarmed civilians attending the gathering, causing injuries to many and killing at least two persons.

The Baloch National Gathering is a peaceful event which was organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee on 28 July 2024 in Gwadar, Balochistan, to highlight the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan by the Pakistan state. Human rights defenders and protesters are calling for an end to systemic discrimination, violence and impunity in the province. They are also calling for an end to violence against peaceful protesters, accountability for the violence and use of force, the release of hundreds of protesters detained linked to the gathering, and ending the ongoing blockade of Gwadar city. The choice of Gwadar, a port city in Balochistan, which has seen high levels of militarization and development related displacement is significant as the region has experienced systemic human rights violations linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Human rights defenders have been targeted during the protest and there are concerning reports of woman human rights defenders being injured and attempts on the life of prominent woman human rights defender Dr. Mahrang Baloch. Front Line Defenders is especially concerned by reports on 29 July 2024 that at least three human rights defenders including the Front Line Defenders 2024 award winner Sammi Deen Baloch, Dr. Sabiha Baloch and Sabghatullah Abdul Haq are said to have been detained by uniformed armed personnel and their whereabouts are presently unknown.

Front Line Defenders is also deeply concerned about the fate and whereabouts of human rights defender Hafeez Baloch, as well as woman human rights defenders Seema Baloch and 17 year old Mahzaib Baloch, both family members of the disappeared. All three human rights defenders were last seen in Gwadar city on 29 July 2024. There is presently no information about their whereabouts.

In the weeks leading up to the Baloch National Gathering, members and human rights defenders associated with the the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which is an organization focused on advocating for the rights and interests of the Baloch people in Pakistan have faced reprisals by state authorities. The attacks include surveillance, raids, arrests and false legal cases.

From 26 to 28 July 2024, major highways in Balochistan were blocked by the military using containers, heavy stones, and large trucks to prevent people from joining the Gwadar gathering. Transporters and passenger bus drivers were threatened and told not to transport attendees. Protesters and human rights defenders traveling to Gwadar from different parts of Pakistan including within Balochistan were blocked from traveling, facing violence, arrests and threats of arrest. There are reports of protesters being injured and also of killings linked to the actions by Pakistan state forces.

Internet, mobile and land line access to Turbat, Gwadar District and most recently Mastung District have reportedly been blocked reducing avenues for information to be shared and humanr rights defenders and protesters to access much needed support. The ongoing blockade of the entry and exit points to Gwadar city have led to a credible fear of shortages of food and other essential supplies.

The violence against human rights defenders and peaceful protesters gathering to campaign and speak out against systemic human rights violations follows a pattern of abuse and reprisals against human rights defenders in Pakistan, and against Baloch human rights defenders in particular. Front Line Defenders has documented the filing of false legal cases against human rights defenders over the past several months, the threats of arrest, and the labeling of defenders as terrorists. Women human rights defenders face gendered abuse online and in physical spaces. In December 2023 and January 2024 the Pakistan state used disproportionate force and false arrests in an attempt to crush the Baloch Long March led by families of the disappeared and women human rights defenders. Those who were part of the march were targeted during and after the protest campaign and labeled as terrorists.

Front Line Defenders calls on the Government of Pakistan to immediately cease the use of force against human rights defenders and peaceful protestors in Gwadar Pakistan. We call on the state to immediately disclose the whereabouts of human rights defenders arrested including Sammi Deen Baloch, Dr. Sabiha and Sabghatullah Abdul Haq, ensuring their safety in detention and their immediate and unconditional release. Front Line Defenders urgently calls for information and to guarantee the safety of missing human rights defenders Hafeez Baloch, Seema Baloch, and Mahzaib Baloch. The human rights defenders must be released, their security in detention guaranteed, access to their lawyers, family members and medical treatment provided as an immediate priortiy.

The Government of Pakistan must comply with its national and international obligations to ensure the right to peaceful assembly and uphold the rights of all persons engaging peacefully on human rights. The blockade on entry and exit into Gwadar city must be stopped, ensuring free movement of persons into the area. Those responsible for the violence that has been unleashed on human rights defenders and peaceful protesters, and for detaining and holding human rights defenders incommunicado must be held accountable.