By: Shabbir Baloch
We’ve seen a campaign being played out in front of our eyes, a campaign that portrays the Baloch Yekjehti Committee (BYC) as a political and rights-based organization working hard for justice in Balochistan, but from what I have seen, researched, and heard directly from security officials and informed observers on the ground, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The BYC, under the leadership of Mahrang Baloch, is not the peaceful human rights body it claims to be. It is, in effect, operating as the B-team of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a group officially designated as a terrorist organization. They wear the garb of political activists, but their motives, actions, and alignments tell a very different story, one of deliberate chaos, calculated violence, and direct support for armed insurgency in Balochistan.
This may sound harsh to some, but it is a truth our media, intelligentsia, and even certain political circles are too afraid to acknowledge.
Take the case of Gulzar Dost Baloch, for instance. For years, BYC and its allies shouted from every rooftop that he was a “missing person,” a victim of enforced disappearance. They used his name in speeches, seminars, and even international campaigns, but now, reality has caught up with the fiction.
He has been arrested, and it’s been confirmed that he was not only alive and well but actively commanding BLA operations from the frontlines. This was not a case of mistaken identity or a man who was swept away unjustly Gulzar Dost was a key figure in orchestrating violence against our state, our people, and our security forces.
The BYC knew exactly who he was, what he was doing, and where he operated from. They intentionally painted him as a victim to gain sympathy and international attention while hiding the fact that he was deeply involved in militancy.
This tactic is not new. The radical groups have used the cover of civil society to shield violent actors. What we see in Balochistan is no different. The BYC leaders speak of peace and rights, their ground-level coordination and strategic narrative serve the very goals that the BLA pursues through guns and bloodshed.
Mahrang Baloch, who leads the BYC, is often named as a student leader and activist, but from all indicators, her role has grown far beyond mere advocacy.
She has become a symbol not just of resistance, but of calculated disruption one that aligns closely with anti-state elements.
It is no coincidence that every time the security forces make headway in dismantling BLA safe havens or apprehending key figures, the BYC launches protest drives, sit-ins, and international campaigns against the state.
In this regard, our intelligence agencies have worked tirelessly in the face of immense odds to prevent Balochistan from descending into complete lawlessness, but despite this, they have managed to dismantle several key terror networks. India, which has long attempted to use proxies in both Balochistan and KP to destabilize Pakistan, has increasingly found itself cornered.
Raising your voice for rights is a democratic necessity. Balochistan needs peace. Its youth need education, jobs, and inclusion not guns, fear, and false martyrs. The narrative that has long been imposed on the region, where every arrested terrorist is a “missing person” and every anti-state slogan is “freedom of speech,” must come to an end.
We, as citizens of Pakistan, must stop being silent spectators. We must question the stories we’re being fed. Who gains when Balochistan burns? Who benefits when foreign-funded voices dominate the conversation?
I believe it’s time we reclaim the truth. It is time we say, without hesitation, that outfits like the BYC are not what they pretend to be. They are part of a well-orchestrated attempt to dismantle our national unity, under the convenient guise of activism.
We must expose their lies, not because we oppose Baloch rights but because we support them, because we want a peaceful, prosperous Balochistan one where rights are achieved through dialogue, not deception; through elections, not explosions.
Also Read: The dual standards of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and the BYC’s narrative
Pakistan has made mistakes, and our state institutions have much to improve. But no amount of criticism justifies terrorism. No sense of grievance allows for collaboration with enemies of the state.
