The March Against Baloch Genocide was a protest march led by Mahrang Baloch and other Baloch women of the

Baloch Yakjehti Committee The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC; ; ) or Balochistan Yakjehti Committee ('Balochistan Unity Committee'), is a human rights movement established in response to alleged state human rights abuses in Balochistan, Pakistan. The BYC's roots can be tr ...

in December 2023, who were marching towards the Pakistani capital

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

to protest

human rights violation Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

s and

enforced disappearances An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person with the support or acquiescence of a State (polity), state followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts with the i ...

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

. The march was a response to the growing number of

and

extrajudicial killings An extrajudicial killing (also known as an extrajudicial execution or an extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, ...

in the region.

Background

The march was spurred by the death of Balaach Mola Bakhsh in November 2023. Bakhsh was arrested on November 20, with explosives in his possession according to the

Counter Terrorism Department The Counter Terrorism Department (; CTD) formerly known as the Crime Investigation Department (CID), are crime scene investigation, interrogation, anti-terrorism, and intelligence bureaus of the provincial police services of Pakistan. The CT ...

(CTD). He appeared in court on November 21, but was killed on November 23 in what the CTD said was a confrontation between police and a militant group. Bakhsh's family rejected the CTD's report, saying that Bakhsh was abducted from his home on October 29, and was killed on November 23 by the CTD. Local protests began, in an effort to make police file a report against the CTD personnel accused of Bakhsh's death.

Organization

The Baloch March against Baloch Genocide was initiated by the

(BYC), a non-profit organization spearheaded by Mahrang Baloch and other prominent figures.

The March

The march began in Balochistan on December 6, 2023. The movement involved hundreds of women who had lost their husbands, brothers, and sons and decided to voice their concerns publicly. The demonstrators had explicit requests: they demanded a halt to forced disappearances and unlawful killings, and they sought accountability for those implicated in the unlawful killings of Baloch youth. They covered a distance of 1,600 kilometers, starting from the southern Kech district near the Iranian border, all the way to

, Pakistan’s capital. They stopped along the way in places like

Kalat Qalat, Qelat, Kalat, Kalaat, Kalut, or Kelat, may refer to: * Qalat (fortress), a fortified place or fortified village Afghanistan * Qalat, Afghanistan, capital of Zabul Province * Kalat, Badakhshan, a small village in the Kuran wa Munjan Dist ...

Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 16th most-populous city in Punjab and List of most p ...

, and

Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...

, where they received support from the local residents. When the march reached Islamabad, authorities prevented the marchers from entering the capital, specifically the National Press Club.

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmed visited the protest camp in Islamabad to show support for the Baloch demonstrators.

Baloch Yakjehti Committee's March Initiatives and Declarations

In this march, the

(BYC) organized an International Oppressed People Conference. Additionally, the BYC launched its inaugural booklet titled "Marching Beyond Silence, unveiling the courageous struggle against the Baloch Genocide." During the 5th phase of the march, a significant public gathering was held in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. At this event, the BYC declared January 25th as the Day of Baloch Genocide and introduced the Baloch Genocide symbol.

Response from authorities

The march saw resistance from authorities on its route to Islamabad. Two participants were severely injured by police at a checkpoint in Soorab. Obstacles were also put on roads by police in an attempt to stop the marchers.

Islamabad

The response from the authorities in Islamabad was marked by resistance and force. Police were dispatched to block China Chowk Underpass, Chongi No. 26, the Islamabad Chowk, Jinnah Avenue, Nazimuddin Road, and

Srinagar Highway The Srinagar Highway (), formerly known as the Kashmir Highway (), is a major east–west highway in the Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan. It provides quick access through Islamabad and connects the Islamabad International Airport in the ...

. The general public was also restricted from using these routes. Despite the negotiations, the police refused to accept the demands of the protesters, resulting in a sit-in near Islamabad Chowk. Police also offered protesters the use of F-9 Park, but this was turned down, with the marchers saying they, not the police, would decide where the protest was staged. More than 200 protesters were subsequently arrested, while others were forcibly dispersed by police

water cannons A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining. ...

and

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

. The arrested protesters were briefly detained, before authorities began sending them back to

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

on buses. Video of authorities forcibly putting some of the protesters on buses drew criticism on social media. The

Islamabad High Court The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following District courts of Pakistan, district courts: * Islamabad District Court (East) * Islamabad Distr ...

(IHC) later inquired why Baloch protesters in the federal capital were being "forcibly" sent back to their provinces.

References

{{reflist 2023 protests

Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...

2020s in Islamabad December 2023 in Pakistan Protest marches in Pakistan Enforced disappearances in Pakistan Human rights abuses in Pakistan Women's rights in Pakistan