IN the rugged terrain of Balochistan, a long-standing narrative of missing persons and state oppression has been skillfully weaponized by the Baloch Yekjehti Committee (BYC).
Presenting itself as a grassroots movement for human rights, the BYC has mastered the art of emotional persuasion using images of anguished mothers, solemn children, and determined activists to capture national and international attention. But behind this carefully constructed façade lies a far more sinister reality: the BYC is not an independent rights group. Instead, it serves as a strategic front for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the most violent separatist groups in Pakistan.
The BYC’s public strategy is both effective and deceptive. Through protests, sit-ins, and social media campaigns, it shapes a narrative portraying security operations as state brutality and detained militants as innocent victims, deliberately conflating genuine disappearances with militant activity to gain legitimacy. Leading this movement, Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch focus solely on state actions while ignoring BLA violence—a calculated strategy to influence Baloch youth and normalize armed rebellion.
Perhaps the most blatant demonstration of BYC-BLA collaboration came earlier this year following a counter-terrorism operation related to the Jaffar Express kidnapping. After security forces killed several BLA militants during a rescue operation, BYC leaders promptly arrived at a Quetta hospital morgue to claim the bodies. They did not denounce the kidnapping or the threat posed by the militants. Instead, they framed the dead insurgents as victims of state violence. This incident removed any lingering doubt about the symbiotic relationship between the two organizations.
A revealing case is that of Suhaib Baloch, also known as Amir Baksh. In July 2024, the BYC claimed he had been taken by authorities and was missing, adding his name to the “missing persons list” to depict the state as targeting innocent youth. This narrative soon collapsed when, on July 25, 2025, the BLA’s media outlet HAKKAL confirmed Suhaib’s death in combat in Kalat on July 22, identifying him as a member of the Majeed Brigade, the group’s suicide attack unit. His case exposed BYC’s deception of presenting militants as victims.
Significantly, the timing of Suhaib’s alleged “disappearance” coincided precisely with his induction into the militant brigade. This case exposes the BYC’s deceptive tactics: those it presents as innocent victims are often militants who have voluntarily joined armed insurgency. By masking terrorism as human rights advocacy, the BYC manipulates public sentiment, misleads international opinion, and fuels recruitment for extremist organizations. Such deception must be confronted and exposed to ensure the world is not taken in by these false narratives.
This cynical manipulation inflicts profound harm on Baloch society. While the BYC and BLA escalate violence through targeted attacks on security personnel, infrastructure, and non-local laborers, ordinary Baloch citizens bear the brunt of the resulting instability. Development projects stall, schools close, and economic opportunities vanish. Families who initially turned to the BYC for help often find their sons recruited into a deadly conflict, their grief endlessly recycled as propaganda. The people of Balochistan deserve advocacy that is transparent, peaceful, and free from militant influence. Only when the double game of groups like the BYC is exposed and rejected can the region begin to heal and move toward a future defined not by conflict, but by opportunity and peace.
—The writer is occasionally contributes to the national press.
