Balochistan: Seminar Held at Awaran Sit-In Camp Against Enforced Disappearances

QUETTA: The family of Dil Jan Baloch and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) held a seminar on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at the ongoing sit-in protest in Awaran for the recovery of Dil Jan Baloch, who has been forcibly disappeared since June 22, 2024.

The family has been staging a sit-in for over a week, demanding the safe return of Dil Jan, but their peaceful protest has been met with increasing harassment from paramilitary forces and local authorities.

Despite facing threats and pressure from the Frontier Corps (FC) and district administration to abandon their protest, the family and their supporters continue to hold their ground. The seminar served as a platform to raise awareness about the ongoing human rights violations against the Baloch people, including the widespread issue of enforced disappearances.

Among the speakers were Sammi Deen Baloch, one of the leaders of the BYC, and members of Dil Jan Baloch’s family. They condemned the state’s failure to keep its promises, particularly a previous assurance made by the district administration during a three-day protest in Awaran. The administration had promised to secure Dil Jan’s release if the family called off their demonstration. However, after trusting these assurances, the family ended their protest, only to see Dil Jan remain missing, fuelling their sense of betrayal.

Adding to the tension, the FC reportedly blocked all transportation routes to the sit-in site the night before the seminar, threatening drivers and preventing people from reaching the protest camp. Despite these efforts to isolate the protestors, dozens of people marched on foot for hours, showing their solidarity with the family.

During the seminar, speakers denounced the state’s ongoing repression of the Baloch people, including forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the return of mutilated bodies. They highlighted the decades-long suffering of the Baloch people, calling attention to the continuous cycle of violence and state neglect.

In a statement, Sammi Deen Baloch reaffirmed the resolve of the Baloch people, declaring, “Harassment, threats, and blockades will not break our spirit. We will continue to demand justice for Dil Jan Baloch and for all those who have been disappeared by the state.”

The seminar concluded with a message of defiance, underscoring that the Baloch people’s struggle for justice and human rights will not be silenced by intimidation or repression. The sit-in protest in Awaran remains ongoing, and the BYC has vowed to keep the pressure on the authorities until Dil Jan Baloch is safely recovered.

Local and international human rights organisations have have been expressing concern over the increasing harassment of peaceful protestors in Balochistan, calling for immediate action to address the growing number of enforced disappearances and the ongoing suppression of dissent.