Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, the largest and most resource-rich part of the country, remains under military control, facing human rights abuses and a media blackout. Despite its strategic importance, Balochistan’s local population is marginalized, fueling anger over enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, economic exploitation, and what many describe as a “Baloch genocide.”
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a women-led grassroots movement, fights for Baloch rights, while demanding accountability for state abuses. Due to its growing influence, Islamabad is trying to discredit the BYC through a digital disinformation campaign, targeting its leadership and efforts. Yet, the BYC continues to draw global attention to the plight of the Baloch people.
The Big Lie: Associating the BYC With Militancy
The BYC evolved directly in response to a series of atrocities targeting Balochs. In 2020, state-backed death squads killed Malik Naz Baloch and injured her young daughter, Bramsh, in Kech, Balochistan. This led to the formation of the Bramsh Yakjehti Committee, which later evolved into the Baloch Yakjehti Committee after the assassination of Banuk Karima Baloch in Canada, and the shooting of Hayat Baloch by Frontier Corps soldiers.
By 2023, the BYC led a historic march from Turbat to Islamabad following the extrajudicial killing of Balach Maula Bakhsh by the Counter-Terrorism Department. The mass protest movement demanded an end to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and military repression. Later events such as the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar and Baloch National Gathering in Dalbandin, further cemented the BYC’s role as a prominent peaceful resistance movement.
International rights advocacy groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International recognize the BYC’s peaceful nature. Journalists in attendance confirm that BYC events like the Baloch National Gathering were both peaceful and locally organized.
Despite the BYC’s clear commitment to nonviolence, Pakistani officials often link it to militancy. During the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar, the director-general of Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of Pakistan’s military, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, slammed the BYC leadership as a “proxy of terrorist organizations.” During the Baloch Long March, the then caretaker prime minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, fueled tensions by accusing protesters of harboring militant motives.
Former Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai labeled the BYC a “political proxy” for militants, while Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti accused it of trying to “malign state institutions.” These claims have been repeated on mainstream talk shows, with Achakzai alleging that the BYC sends youth for “militant training.”
However, civil society groups in Pakistan and globally have found no evidence to support these allegations, which they see as an attempt to equate civil dissent with militancy. The state frequently labels educated Baloch youth as militants, with abducted students later falsely accused.
In reality, the BYC condemns all violence but focuses its criticism on state-perpetrated abuses.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, one of the leaders of the BYC rejects these claims, saying the state is distorting the objectives of the movement to justify its own violent crackdown. “The Pakistani government labels any Baloch voice ‘anti-state’ to dismiss our real demands: accountability for enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and military abuses,” she said. “Their allegations have no logic or basis.”
Mahrang continued: “This is a common tactic – by associating peaceful protests with militancy, the government wants to legitimize state violence and suppress our grievances.”
The Foreign Funding Myth
The state repeatedly claims the BYC receives foreign funding from India, the U.S., and Europe to destabilize Pakistan. Journalists like Mubashir Luqman have linked the BYC to NGOs opposing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, citing Mahrang’s meetings with foreign diplomats as evidence, yet offer no proof of financial transfers.
Mahrang called these claims “ironic,” noting that Pakistan itself relies on foreign aid and engages in proxy wars. “Our support comes from Baloch masses who donate their resources, time, and moral backing,” she said.
“Pakistan benefits from the EU’s GSP status and hosts Western diplomats, yet accuses us of foreign influence. If they opposed ‘foreign lobbies,’ they’d rethink their policies, not spread disinformation against BYC.”
She also dismissed a false Geo News report alleging the Federal Board of Revenue found large sums in her account as part of a broader strategy to discredit activists by branding them as foreign agents.
Digital Warfare
A salient feature of Pakistan’s propaganda war against the BYC is its reliance on digital deception. Thousands of pro-state social media accounts spread doctored images, fake audio clips, and outright lies to discredit the movement.
In one example, a fake audio recording claimed to show Mahrang allegedly seeking “20 crores” (200 million) rupees in foreign funds to hold the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar. Another clip circulated by Snow News HD attempted to link Mahrang to Brahamdagh Bugti, the former head of the Baloch Republican Army, suggesting that the peaceful protests are backed by militant figures.
Mahrang rejected these claims, highlighting how the government controls print, electronic, and social media to impose its narrative. She insisted that the BYC’s real strength lies in the trust of the Baloch people, adding, “We never respond to state propaganda because it is illogical. They aim to distract us from our struggle.”
Doctored images are another key propaganda tool. In some cases, images of suicide bombers are digitally grafted into footage of protests against missing persons – both to falsely associate the BYC with militancy and to cast doubt on enforced disappearances.
Many state-backed accounts shared a photoshopped image of Mahrang at the Islamabad Press Club, in which a missing person’s poster had been altered to replace Murad Khan’s image with a photo Quetta suicide bomber Rafiq Bizenjo, whose attack was claimed by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Fact-checking accounts exposed this propaganda, proving that Bizenjo was never listed as missing.
Mahrang called this “dangerous,” adding, “They edit missing persons’ faces after suicide attacks to label them bombers, justifying enforced disappearances and undermining our movement.”
Meanwhile, posts in support of the BYC face rampant censorship. X is banned in Pakistan, accessible only via VPN. BYC-related handles face frequent suspensions. Instagram and Facebook posts showing enforced disappearances are often deleted for “violating community standards.” Posts mentioning “Baloch” or “Balochistan” are routinely removed and flagged.
Before major gatherings or protests by the BYC, authorities cut off network and internet access for days, preventing activists from sharing updates. Rights groups confirm these blackouts target BYC mobilization.
Personal Attacks on BYC Leaders
In November 2024, an X user shared an image of Mahrang holding an iPad, stating she received luxury items through “foreign funds.” The post also accused her of staying silent on terrorist attacks, portraying Baloch activists as proxies for India or the United States.
Pakistani commentator Zaid Hamid branded Baloch rights defenders “apostates” and “infidels,” urging the state to execute them under Islamic law.
Personal attacks on her family are common. Trolls falsely claim her father was a militant commander, though Soch Fact Check and Human Rights Watch confirm he was a political activist with the Baloch National Party who was abducted in 2009. His mutilated body was eventually found in Balochistan’s coastal region, Gaddani.
“State-backed accounts keep targeting BYC leaders,” Mahrang said. “My family has also been maligned. These tactics restrict my everyday life and distort my father’s legacy, as they did with other Baloch activists.”
She drew parallels to past smear campaigns against Banok Karima Baloch and even mainstream Pakistani politicians. Women, she stressed, remain prime targets: “This is psychological warfare… in Pakistan, attacking women is a way to silence movements.”
Dr. Sabiha Baloch, another central leader of the BYC, has faced similar attacks. State-aligned trolls falsely claim Sabiha’s brother and cousin were never missing persons but long-time militants, yet reports confirm they were abducted and later released, dismissing this narrative. Her activism remains focused against state violence, not support for militancy.
Another rumor spread after a photo showed Sabiha holding a walkie-talkie during the Baloch National Gathering in Dalbandin. Critics claimed the walkie-talkie resembled those used by militants, even though such devices are standard for organizing peaceful events.
Social media posts also accused her of making blasphemous statements, using doctored video clips. That’s a dangerous accusation to make in Pakistan, where even false blasphemy allegations can lead to fatal mob violence.
Similarly, state-backed propaganda falsely linked Sammi Deen Baloch, another BYC leader, to militants using photoshopped images with militant leader Dr. Allah Nazar. Fact-checkers confirm these images are fake.
Another claim suggests her brother runs a “militant business” in Oman and that she secretly visits her disappeared father, yet independent reports confirm her father Dr. Deen Mohammad Baloch was abducted in 2009, with no evidence of any reunion.
Trolls also mocked a photo of her in a Zamyad truck, calling it a publicity stunt, though limited transport in conflict zones like Awaran leaves few options. State-aligned media further push staged “surrender” videos to tie her activism to militancy, but no proof links her to any militant group.
State-Funded Disinformation
According to The Balochistan Post, the provincial government spends around 5.5 million Pakistani rupees (around $20,000) monthly on social media operatives to push state narratives and target Baloch activists. Activists see this as a state campaign to undermine the BYC and, more broadly, cover up evidence of rights abuses in Balochistan.
The BYC focuses on enforced disappearances, a worsening crisis in Balochistan. Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s human rights wing, documented 576 cases in 2023 and 619 in 2024, alongside rising extrajudicial killings and torture. The Baloch Long March from Turbat to Islamabad highlighted these cases, with families displaying photos of loved ones taken by security forces.
Islamabad, however, denies systematic abuses, claiming many of the missing are militants or fugitives. Those who speak out about the issue are often targeted with retaliation. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Pakistan for detaining and violently dispersing Baloch protesters, often amid internet blackouts.
Mahrang called enforced disappearances undeniable, rejecting the official justifications. While Balochistan suffers the most, the state-backed abductions are a national issue, she said. “They claim missing persons joined militants or fled abroad, but there’s no evidence.” She added that measures like “preventive detention” effectively legalize the practice, with even mainstream journalists disappearing and cases stalling in Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
In 2023, Kakar, during a BBC interview, claimed there were fewer than 50 missing persons in Balochistan. Journalist Hamid Mir challenged him to a public meeting, offering to present a comprehensive list from Kakar’s own tenure as caretaker prime minister. Sammi Deen Baloch, whose father disappeared in 2009, pointed to the Baloch Long March tent in Islamabad, filled with photos of missing persons – far more than 50. The government’s own Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances put the count of active cases at 2,752 as of January 2024. Activists say the total is closer to 7,000.
Despite mounting evidence, officials dismiss the issue, branding victims as terrorists or foreign agents. Channels like ARY News reinforce this, claiming “foreign agencies” stage “fake dramas” to malign Pakistan.
Indeed, most major Pakistani outlets rarely question the official stance on Balochistan. Instead, they invite activists like Mahrang for interviews, then spend the allotted time pressing her to condemn Baloch militant groups, sidestepping her calls to address enforced disappearances and state violence.
During the Baloch Long March, Bol News anchor Fiza Khan insisted on repeated condemnations of militant groups but neglected to discuss daily abductions of civilians. Another anchor, Gharida Farooqi went so far as to accuse Mahrang of ties to the BLA, ignoring evidence of state-sponsored digital manipulation.
Mahrang dismissed these charges as “baseless,” while also noting Pakistan’s own complicity in the militancy problem. “Militancy in Balochistan is rooted in the state’s own brutal policies. Many youths join militant groups out of desperation, which has no link to BYC,” she said.
She added, “Rather than confront their colonial governance and lawlessness in Balochistan, they blame BYC to distract from their failures… “They spread propaganda against us to legitimize violence.”
A Wider Lens
Pakistan’s tactics are part of a broader trend of “hybrid warfare” against civil society by oppressive regimes around the world. China stages interviews to deny Uyghur repression, Myanmar’s junta fuels online hatred against Rohingya, and Egypt suppresses social media while branding activists as “radicalized.” Similarly, Islamabad uses trolls, doctored content, and official statements to paint critics as foreign proxies.
In Balochistan, genuine activists are sidelined as state narratives dominate. By equating dissent with militancy or foreign agendas, Islamabad blurs the line between peaceful activism and militancy.
To counter this, Mahrang envisions building a far-reaching coalition. “BYC’s mission is to be present among the Baloch masses,” she said, “supporting them even in remote villages, uniting a fragmented society against genocide, and decentralizing political activism.”