Baloch Women’s March To Islamabad Challenges Pakistan's Status Quo

On a chilly December evening in 2023, the echoes of anguish echoed through the women's police station in Islamabad. More than 50 Baloch women and children found themselves detained without charge after embarking on a gruelling journey—a "long march" spanning over 900 miles from Turbat, near the Iranian border in Balochistan, to the heart of Pakistan's capital. Their mission: to protest against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings plaguing their province.

The road to Islamabad was fraught with obstacles as authorities mobilised to suppress the march, resorting to tactics aimed at stifling dissent. Yet, the images of women being forcibly loaded onto buses, which circulated widely on social media, shattered the silence surrounding Balochistan's plight. National attention shifted towards the egregious human rights violations unfolding in the province, a departure from the usual apathy towards protests labelled as "anti-state."

What sets this protest movement apart is not merely its scale, but the unprecedented participation of young women, who, against all odds, have taken centre stage in the struggle for justice. From the dusty streets of Turbat to the bustling thoroughfares of Quetta, the marchers have captured the imagination of a nation, galvanising support and solidarity across ethnic and cultural divides.

A Tragic Loss Ignites Change

Traditionally, sit-ins and protests drew scant attendance, with only a few dozen families participating. However, a recent surge saw approximately 100 families camped outside the National Press Club in Islamabad for over a month in 2023. Political upheavals in Pakistan over the past year, particularly Prime Minister Khan's strained relations with the military, resulted in a crackdown on members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, akin to tactics reported in Balochistan. Khan's allies purportedly faced torture, abduction, and coercion to leave the party.

The catalyst for this movement however was the tragic killing of a 24-year-old youth, Balaach, in Turbat Tehsil. His arbitrary arrest and subsequent death at the hands of counterterrorism police ignited widespread outrage, resulting in a week-long protest in Turbat.

Balaach’s funeral, attended by thousands, symbolized a watershed moment in Turbat’s history, spurring support for the march to Quetta, the provincial capital. As the procession traversed Balochistan, it garnered unprecedented solidarity, uniting communities from the coastal region of Makran to Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab.

From the Margins to the Mainstream

Since November 23, the streets of Balochistan have borne witness to a remarkable sight – hundreds of women, undeterred by the spectre of fear, embarking on a historic march to Islamabad. Their demands are unequivocal: an end to enforced disappearances, accountability for extrajudicial killings, and justice for the victims of state-sponsored violence.

Historically, Baloch protests, predominantly led by men, struggled to garner widespread attention beyond the borders of Balochistan. However, the recent long march marked a key moment as Baloch women assumed leadership roles, amplifying their demands on a national stage. What began as a modest movement evolved into a powerful force, drawing participation from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

The genesis of Balochistan's turmoil can be traced back to the early 2000s when simmering grievances over political disenfranchisement and economic neglect burgeoned into an insurgency. Frustrated by the government's inaction and rampant human rights violations, the Baloch community found itself embroiled in a struggle for autonomy. Today, two prominent insurgent groups, the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front, stand in defiance against Pakistan's security apparatus.

Enforced Disappearances

In Balochistan, government apathy and inaction concerning enforced disappearances have eroded public trust in Pakistani institutions, fueling resentment and fostering a culture of protest. Families and supporters frequently stage demonstrations and sit-ins outside government buildings, block highways, and hold annual gatherings in major cities. While some draw parallels between feminist protests and Baloch grievances, Baloch women emphasize the political nature of their movement.

Activists and journalists decry a pattern of arbitrary detention and summary executions, perpetrated under the guise of counterterrorism. Families of the missing endure agonizing uncertainty, struggling with a system that offers scant recourse for justice. Despite the official downplaying of figures, grassroots organizations showcase a starkly different picture—one marred by thousands of unresolved cases.

People, they claim, have been detained on grounds of "suspicion" or "false information." Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, a non-profit organization representing the families of the disappeared, reports approximately 7,000 cases registered with them during this period.

However, the government-run Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIOED) has contested these figures, stating there were only 300 active cases as of December 2023. Pakistan's interim prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, echoed this sentiment three months prior, minimizing the scale of disappearances in Balochistan to the BBC, claiming only about 50 individuals were missing.

While national media coverage remained scant, the power of social media catapulted the Baloch movement onto the global stage. 

Baloch Women Take the Lead

Expressing concern over police harassment faced by protesters, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, engaged with Mahrang Baloch, 30, and Sammi Deen Baloch, 25, both pivotal figures in the movement. The solidarity extended by civil rights activists, feminist groups, and legal experts further rouses support for the cause, beyond geographical boundaries.

The emergence of women leaders like Karima Baloch, who chaired the Baloch Students Organization-Azad (BSOA) in 2015, laid the groundwork for current activism. Despite the organization's ban, Karima continued advocating against human rights abuses and political marginalization, inspiring more women to participate. Her mysterious death in exile in 2020 galvanized further mobilization among Baloch women.

Now, Mahrang and Sammi, whose fathers fell victim to enforced disappearances, have stepped into leadership roles, garnering nationwide attention. Their activism, rooted in personal tragedy, symbolizes the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in Balochistan.