Pakistan rights body calls Sindh govt’s ban on Aurat March ‘state fascism’ against Balochistan

Quetta: Human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) slammed Pakistan’s Sindh government for barring the organisation from participating in the Aurat March programme, describing the move as “state fascism” against the people of Balochistan.

The rights body stated that declaring the BYC and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) as banned organisations in the conditional permit issued for the march on Sunday demonstrated the “extreme of state fascism”.

Raising questions over the government’s actions, the BYC asked under what law or judicial ruling it had been declared a banned organisation. The rights body asserted that no Pakistani court has banned the BYC, arguing that it remains a “peaceful political organisation” with no legal basis for such a ban.

Highlighting its role as a democratic public movement against “human rights abuses, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial measures, and Baloch genocide” in Balochistan, the BYC said, “For the past year, the state has been continuously attempting to crush this public movement through the use of violence.”

“Throughout this entire year-long period, the state has failed to present even a single legal piece of evidence against the BYC, nor does the state possess any political or legal argument against the BYC; therefore, the state is resorting to the unrestrained use of force against the BYC,” it added.

The BYC alleged that its leaders have been “illegally and unconstitutionally” detained for extended periods. It further stated that despite facing bailable charges, these leaders are being denied their fundamental right to bail.

Additionally, the BYC claimed that Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws are being weaponised against thousands of Baloch political activists.

Legislation such as the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and the Fourth Schedule, which were enacted to curb terrorism, it said, are being used by Pakistani authorities against peaceful political activists, students, and individuals advocating for human rights.

“In this context, the imposition of such conditions by the Sindh government on the Aurat March—conditions that single out and declare the BYC as banned—is an utterly shameful and condemnable act. All these facts clearly demonstrate that the state is using law and force as weapons against the Baloch people in order to silence the Baloch voice against the wall in every possible way,” the rights body stressed.

The BYC reiterated its resolve to continue exposing the ongoing “human rights violations, enforced disappearances, political vendettas, and state oppression” in Balochistan before the world.

It called on the human rights organisations worldwide, women’s movements, democratic forces, and justice-loving people to stand in solidarity with the BYC and the “peaceful struggle” of the people in Balochistan against Pakistan’s oppression.

IANS