Quetta, March 19 (IANS) The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Thursday strongly condemned what it described as the “baseless, politically motivated allegations” against the organisation and its central leader, Sabiha Baloch, asserting it has always been a peaceful movement, consistently advocating for human rights in Balochistan.
The BYC said that Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and the Inspector General of Police, during a press conference on Wednesday, presented Farzana Zehri -- forcibly disappeared from Khuzdar district in December 2025 -- who, after more than three and a half months incommunicado, was made to speak against BYC and Sabiha, linking them to militant groups and alleged suicide attack training.
Raising serious concerns, the rights body alleged that the Pakistani establishment is “using propaganda and staged press conferences to silence human rights defenders.”
“This raises grave constitutional and legal questions: where was Farzana Zehri during this period, why was she not presented before a court, and why was she held incommunicado instead of in a lawful detention facility? Her coerced statement cannot be considered credible,” the BYC stated.
“This propaganda appears deliberately aimed at justifying the illegal detention of BYC leaders and a state crackdown on the organisation, while discrediting a peaceful movement advocating for justice. There is no evidence linking Sabiha Baloch or BYC to these allegations,” it added.
The rights body demanded that Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and authorities provide concrete proof or publicly apologise for defamation, asserting that the BYC remains “committed to peaceful struggle and will continue raising its voice against injustice, despite intimidation tactics”.
Sharing a video of a press conference on his social media platform X, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) Chairman Naseem Baloch said that Farzana was coerced into labelling Sabiha as a “handler of suicide bombers”, terming it “highly condemnable” and “part of a systematic campaign” to silence Baloch activists.
“The woman seen in the video was herself reportedly abducted and held incommunicado for months. Subjecting a disappeared individual to prolonged detention and torture, only to extract a forced statement, is a grave violation of human rights and a clear example of coercion,” Naseem stated.
“This act reflects a broader pattern in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances are not only used to silence individuals but also to weaponise victims against other activists. Such tactics aim to spread fear, create mistrust, and dismantle peaceful movements advocating for justice,” he added.
--IANS
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