London, April 4 (IANS) Mahrang Baloch, human rights activist and chief organiser of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has once again highlighted the atrocities faced by her and fellow activists at the hands of Pakistani authorities during their imprisonment over the last one year.
In a recent letter to leading British daily ‘The Guardian’, Mahrang said her solitary confinement in a 20-square-metre cell in Central Jail Huda in Quetta is stark, “with only a small cot and a corner commode” – a condition she described as deliberately harsh for prisoners.
“Two other defenders and members of BYC, the organisation I founded to advocate against human rights violations in Balochistan, are here too, in cells next to mine. There are nine cells in this block in Central Jail Huda in Quetta, but we are kept away from the other women. They tell us, because we are political prisoners, we are not allowed to interact. I suppose they are scared we might influence them,” read the letter.
Highlighting her deteriorating health condition, Mahrang said that since October 2025, she has been suffering severe back and joint pain that has prevented her from exercising.
She said that her condition worsened in February, when she was hospitalised and diagnosed with multiple health issues.
“As a doctor, I tried to treat myself. In February, when my condition worsened, I was finally hospitalised and diagnosed with a slipped disc and radiculopathy [compressed or irritated nerve roots in the spine],” said the Baloch activist.
Mahrang further expressed concern over the growing harassment of her family members by Pakistani authorities as well as the enforced disappearance of some of the relatives.
“Even as I endure this, the greater pain is knowing my family is being relentlessly targetted for my political activism. My cousin Salal Baloch was forcibly disappeared. On 12 March this year, my 19-year-old cousin, Saifullah Baloch, was picked up and remains missing. My brother is on the fourth schedule – a watch list that imposes strict monitoring, travel bans, mandatory police reporting, and financial restrictions for up to three years – and is continually harassed by the counter-terrorism department,” the human rights activist stated.
“Whenever my sister speaks out in press conferences for our release, she is harassed and has also been charged. These tactics are meant to break me and force me to abandon my political struggle,” she added.
Mahrang said that since their arrest in March last year, Pakistani authorities have sustained efforts to break their resolve.
She alleged that her companion Beebow Baloch was beaten during her transfer from Pishin jail, while another activist, Beebarg Zehri, developed a medical condition – “urethral stricture” – due to the poor conditions in his cell.
“Yet none of us has given in. Perhaps it is our political grounding, or the strength of our beliefs, that sustains us. Or perhaps it is faith in our people – who, even under oppression, have not lost moral courage. This fills me with pride,” she noted.
Emphasisng that “no home in Balochistan is safe” amid the violence by Pakistani authorities, Mahrang said, “Enforced disappearances are widespread; victims are killed in staged encounters; relatives are targetted, and now even women, including Mahjabeen Baloch, a disabled student, and Hani Baloch, a mother of two who was pregnant, are forcibly disappeared.”
In 2025 alone, she said, BYC recorded over 1,200 such cases of enforced disappearances across the province.
Recalling the night of their arrests, Mahrang further alleged that the Pakistani police killed a peaceful activist and two passers-by and beat up other protesters during the crackdown.
“This showed me that our struggle is not personal but part of decades of injustice against the Baloch people. It is about our survival. I am certain my purpose is to fight for the justice and prosperity of Baloch families; that is my calling,” she stressed.
–IANS
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