The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a rights group campaigning for the civil, political and socioeconomic rights of the Baloch, has mobilized people and organized huge rallies across Balochistan. Mahrang Baloch, the BYC leader, told DW that they were organizing 'a movement against Baloch genocide,' accusing Pakistani authorities of carrying out thousands of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. 'China or any other country investing in Balochistan is directly involved in the Baloch genocide. The enforced disappearances and forced displacements in the Makran coastal belt are huge.'
Despite the economic potential claimed with the development of Gwadar airport, many locals feel sidelined. Mahrang Baloch expresses this frustration stating, 'They are looting our resources with no gain to local Baloch, and the international investments only exacerbate our suffering. We feel our very existence is threatened.' She underscores the urgent clashes between development goals and the rights of local populations.
The Pakistani military labeled the BYC as 'proxies' for what it called terrorists and criminal mafias. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the head of the military, commented, 'Their strategy is gathering crowds with foreign funding, inciting unrest among the people, challenging government authority through stone pelting, vandalism, and making unreasonable demands.' This highlights the intense tension and differing perspectives regarding Baloch activism and foreign investment.
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