So-called human rights movements operating in Balochistan, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), are increasingly being viewed by security and policy experts as facilitators for proscribed militant outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), providing them with cover, recruitment channels, and coordinated propaganda under the guise of rights advocacy.
According to security sources, these groups operate through a structured but misleading narrative that exploits grievances and emotional appeals, particularly targeting young men and women. Under slogans of nationalism and human rights, recruits are allegedly groomed, mobilized, and, in some cases, physically shielded from law enforcement action.
A recent video circulating widely on social media has intensified scrutiny of BYC’s activities. In the footage, women identified as members of the group are seen intervening during a police operation, physically obstructing officers and preventing the arrest of suspected militants. When police detain a suspicious individual, the women rush forward, grab officers by the collars, and force them to release the suspect. Male individuals remain largely passive in the background, while the confrontation is led entirely by women.
Security officials say this tactic is not incidental but deliberate. Female activists are allegedly deployed to exploit operational constraints faced by law enforcement, knowing that security personnel exercise restraint in such situations. Experts note that beyond ideological support, this behavior amounts to active facilitation, obstruction of justice, and use of civilians as human shields.
Analysts further argue that BYC’s role goes beyond propaganda or street agitation. While the group has previously been accused of radicalizing women for suicide missions, recent incidents suggest a broader operational function, acting as a protective barrier for militants during raids and arrests.
These developments come in the aftermath of the coordinated terrorist attacks carried out on January 31 across nearly a dozen cities in Balochistan, where banned BLA operatives targeted civilians, security personnel, and infrastructure. The attacks drew widespread condemnation, particularly due to the killing of women and children and the reported use of women in violent operations, actions widely seen as a direct violation of Baloch cultural traditions.
Security experts monitoring the insurgency in Balochistan believe that such violations have severely eroded whatever residual sympathy or passive support militant groups may have retained among local communities. They argue that the visible collaboration between militant outfits and so-called rights movements will further alienate the public and expose the true nature of these networks.
According to analysts, the unmasking of facilitation networks is as critical as kinetic operations against armed militants. Without dismantling the social, logistical, and propaganda infrastructure that sustains insurgency, security gains on the ground risk remaining temporary.
Authorities maintain that investigations into such incidents are ongoing and that individuals found obstructing counterterrorism operations or aiding proscribed organizations will be dealt with under the law.
