The federal government’s handling of Baloch protests has inadvertently intensified national fractures instead of healing them. Despite repeated demonstrations by citizens demanding accountability, justice, and inclusion, the response from Islamabad has ranged from muted indifference to overt repression. This approach has not only exacerbated the long-standing grievances of Baloch communities but also shaken the foundational principles of equity, justice, and federalism upon which Pakistan claims to stand. This editorial seeks to assess the multidimensional consequences of such a response, particularly how it undermines national cohesion, inflames ethnic discontent, delegitimizes democratic norms, and reinforces the perception of Balochistan as a persistently excluded periphery.
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To begin with, Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass, remains paradoxically the least developed and most politically marginalized. Despite its abundant mineral and natural gas resources, it continues to suffer from economic underinvestment, poor infrastructure, and limited access to education and healthcare. Historically, the province has experienced cycles of insurgency and protest, each fueled by the same set of enduring grievances: political exclusion, resource exploitation, and enforced disappearances. The federal government’s failure to respond substantively to these grievances has created a deep and dangerous trust deficit.
Building upon this backdrop, recent waves of protests, most notably the peaceful marches organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, have once again thrust these issues into the national spotlight. What distinguishes this iteration from previous movements is its peaceful nature, spearheaded by women, students, and families of missing persons. These protestors have journeyed across Pakistan to demand answers, accountability, and humane treatment. However, instead of opening channels of dialogue or initiating legal redress, the federal apparatus has largely responded with police crackdowns, detentions, and media suppression. This signals not only a lack of political will but a fundamental misunderstanding of the long-term costs of alienation.
Institutional Apathy Fuels Ethnic Alienation
First, the federal government’s institutional silence in the face of legitimate demands has only deepened feelings of alienation among the Baloch population. Protestors have not called for secession but for basic human rights, such as knowledge of the whereabouts of disappeared family members and an end to racial profiling. Yet, the state's unwillingness to even acknowledge these demands reinforces the perception that Baloch suffering exists outside the framework of national concern.
Moreover, this silence is not benign; it is interpreted as deliberate marginalization. While the state is swift to respond to protests in urban Punjab or Sindh, its inertia in Balochistan paints a picture of selective empathy. This disparity has critical implications: it devalues the notion of shared citizenship and reinforces the belief that Baloch lives are politically expendable. Such disparities undermine the inclusive spirit necessary for federal unity and perpetuate the psychological distance between Balochistan and the rest of the country.
Security-Centric Response Undermines Democratic Trust
Second, the federal government's preference for securitization over dialogue continues to erode public trust in democratic institutions. Peaceful protests have been met with heavy-handed tactics, tear gas, arbitrary arrests, and harassment of organizers. By equating dissent with insurgency, the state transforms civic participation into criminality, thereby closing the space for peaceful political engagement.
Furthermore, this securitized approach creates a climate of fear that extends beyond the protestors themselves. It signals to the broader public, especially minorities and marginalized communities, that grievances will not be resolved through democratic channels but suppressed through coercion. In doing so, the state undermines its own legitimacy and strengthens the narrative that meaningful change can only come from outside the system, a sentiment ripe for radicalization.
Youth Alienation Weakens Prospects for Future Unity
In addition, the disproportionate targeting and racial profiling of Baloch students, particularly those studying in cities like Lahore and Islamabad, represents a grave misstep with long-term repercussions. These students, often pursuing higher education under strenuous conditions, symbolize the potential for national integration. However, when these very symbols of unity are met with suspicion, surveillance, and discrimination, their faith in the federation erodes.
The psychological toll of being treated as suspects rather than citizens cannot be overstated. These are the voices that should be uplifted in national discourse, yet they are systematically silenced or discredited. The implications extend beyond the present moment: a generation raised on mistrust cannot be expected to champion national unity in the future. Alienating the youth is tantamount to sowing the seeds of a more divided Pakistan.
Media Blackouts Reinforce the Politics of Invisibility
Compounding this exclusion is the near-total media blackout of Baloch protests in mainstream platforms. While news cycles are saturated with political drama from the federal capital, little attention is paid to those marching for justice from the country’s western frontier. This disparity in media visibility not only deprives protestors of a national audience but also robs the public of a comprehensive understanding of Pakistan’s internal contradictions.
This silence is symptomatic of a larger systemic bias. The lack of coverage effectively renders Baloch voices invisible, denying them the power to shape national narratives or influence policy. As a result, public perception of Balochistan is filtered through a lens of suspicion and disinterest, further entrenching the sense that it is a province on the margins, present in the territory of Pakistan, but absent in its conscience.
Global Repercussions and the Erosion of Diplomatic Credibility
Equally important are the international implications of the federal government's repressive tactics. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have frequently criticized Pakistan’s record on enforced disappearances and ethnic repression. Each instance of state overreach, particularly against peaceful protestors, draws global scrutiny that damages Pakistan’s diplomatic standing.
In an era where foreign aid, international partnerships, and investor confidence are contingent on domestic stability and human rights, such practices pose a strategic liability. Pakistan cannot simultaneously seek economic integration with the world while sidelining the fundamental rights of its citizens. The international community watches closely, and internal repression inevitably invites external condemnation, isolating Pakistan on global forums where moral credibility is increasingly essential.
Taken collectively, the federal response to Baloch protests is not just a series of administrative misjudgments, it is a political failure with existential implications. By choosing suppression over inclusion, and denial over acknowledgment, the government perpetuates a dangerous cycle of mistrust and unrest. Rather than healing the federation, it deepens its fissures. A truly federal democracy must not only tolerate dissent but also address its causes. Until Balochistan’s concerns are treated with the seriousness they deserve, national cohesion will remain a precarious aspiration, not a lived reality.
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To cap it all, the federal government’s response to Baloch protests stands as a mirror to Pakistan’s most enduring contradiction: the simultaneous demand for unity and the denial of justice. Instead of engaging with the legitimate grievances of its own citizens, the state has opted for a path of repression and silence, thereby exacerbating the very issues it seeks to contain. If Pakistan is to preserve its federal integrity and promote lasting national unity, it must abandon this repressive posture in favor of empathy, inclusion, and reform. Dialogue must replace denial; justice must replace repression. Only then can Balochistan be reintegrated not merely as a territorial unit but as a full and equal partner in the nation’s future. Anything less threatens not just regional stability, but the cohesion of the Pakistani federation itself.
