Quetta, Jan 11 (IANS) Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch has rejected the Counter Terrorism Department's (CTD) allegations against the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), saying that the statements have been circulated in the media without proof and judicial scrutiny.

Calling BYC a "peaceful political movement grounded in human rights and dignity", Sammi Deen Baloch stated that rights group documents enforced disappearances and speaks for families who have been denied arrests, charges, trials, and even confirmation of whether their loved ones are alive.

In a statement posted on X, BYC stated, "The allegations by the CTD against the BYC have been advanced in the media without evidence and without any judicial scrutiny. BYC is a peaceful political movement grounded in human rights and dignity. It currently holds the largest public and popular support in Balochistan. Our work is public, documented, and carried out in full view of the state. We organise protests. We document enforced disappearances."

"We speak for families who have been denied arrests, charges, trials, and even confirmation of whether their loved ones are alive. That is our work. The state knows it. The public knows it. The claim that BYC functions as a platform for terrorist recruitment has been made without evidence, without charges, and without judicial scrutiny. It follows a long-established pattern: when demands for accountability cannot be answered, they are reframed as threats. When victims organise, they are rebranded as suspects. This is not counter-terrorism. It is suppression," it added.

Sammi Deen Baloch's statement comes after Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Aitzaz Goraya on Friday alleged that terrorists were using BYC's platform to recruit youth into their networks.

Sammi Deen Baloch stated BYC showcases Baloch youth who have grown up watching fathers disappear, their brothers killed, and their futures suspended indefinitely. She expressed BYC's readiness to continue to speak for the families that the state would prefer remain silent.

"If any individual has committed a crime, the law already exists. Arrest them. Charge them. Produce evidence in court. What the state has chosen instead is to issue accusations through the media, smear an entire movement, and place its members and supporters in danger. That choice is deliberate. BYC represents Baloch youth who have grown up watching their fathers disappear, their brothers killed, and their futures suspended indefinitely. If young people are alienated or distrustful, it is not because of peaceful organisers.

"It is because the state has normalised enforced disappearance, collective punishment, and the erasure of lawful political space in Balochistan. The language of 'rehabilitation' and 'internment' is not neutral. Baloch communities know how often it has been used to justify detention without charge, without oversight, and without consent. Rebranding unlawful confinement does not make it lawful. When a state begins to label human rights activism as terrorism, it is no longer addressing a security problem. It reveals a governance failure. It is admitting that it cannot tolerate scrutiny, dissent, or organised civilian resistance," she added.

Expressing BYC's commitment to continue documenting cases that the state denies, she stated, "BYC will continue to organise publicly and peacefully. We will continue to document what the state denies. We will continue to speak for families that the state would prefer remain silent. The question is no longer whether citizens are being criminalised. It is why demanding to know where the disappeared are has itself been declared a crime."

During the press conference with Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat on Friday, Goraya said that CTD police and law enforcement agencies arrested Sajid Ahmad alias Shahwaiz, a resident of Turbat, during an operation in Panjgur, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported.

According to him, Sajid had completed a master's degree from Islamabad's International Islamic University and had worked on a contract basis at Zubaida Jalal Government College for three years before teaching at the University of Turbat. He said that Sajid had remained with BYC and was in constant touch with the group's leadership.

"One thing that has surfaced prominently is the role of the BYC. Every individual facilitating or involved in what they call a sharing or intelligence network is somehow linked to the BYC," Dawn quoted Goraya as saying. He further said, "Besides Sajid, we have also arrested three others, against whom FIRs are being registered."

--IANS

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