Staff Report
KARACHI
For activists coming from Balochistan, state crackdown has not been the only thing that they have had to face. They have been facing harassment and intimidation despite the fact that many of them have been trying to keep a low profile, especially after the arrests of Dr Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch and others, and the arrest and release of Sammi Deen Baloch in Karachi. Women in particular are now feeling scared and threatened for their activism questioning if they will be targeted now.
Shama Arif, a 38-year-old Baloch activist fled the country in December 2023 and went to Canada, after facing relentless harassment and threats because of her activism, she says. Now she has come forward with a disturbing account of harassment and intimidation by people whom she claims are from the intelligence agencies.
An incident with Shama took place during her visit to Pakistan from Canada. Shama had returned to her home country and had stayed in Pakistan between April 20 and May 6, 2025. Within two days of her being in Karachi, some plainclothesmen came to her house to look for her. She says her neighbours told her that while she was not at home that evening, some people parked a black SUV outside her house and came to her house. “Luckily I was not home at the time,” she said. But even later when she decided to travel to Turbat to meet with her family, she was followed by a vehicle she did not recognize.
In a chilling turn of events, when she was not to be found, on April 26, her 24 year old cousin – her uncle’s son – Fareed Baloch was shot and killed right outside his house by two gunmen clad in civil clothes but strongly believed by the family to be officers from the Federal Corps (FC).
Arif, a single mother of three, opened up to Voicepk about the constant harassment that she has faced.
“Everyone in our family has a history of activism and support for Baloch rights organizations such as the Baloch Yekjehti Committee (BYC) and the Baloch Rights Council,” she said. “This activism has made us a target of the security forces. Two of my uncles were shot dead, one in 2007, and two in 2008. Now one of my uncle’s sons (Fareed) has been killed. Will I be next?” she asks.
Arif says she fears terribly for her children and for herself.
A long time ago in order to be safer she had moved from Turbat to a big city like Karachi some time ago, but even here the harassment would not stop. The phone calls, the following and unfamiliar cars parked in her street near her house.
The message is clear, she says. “If they dont get me, they will pick someone else from my family to pressure me. I cannot stay here anymore.”
Unsafe activism
The harassment that Arif experienced is part of a broader, intensifying crackdown by the state, particularly following the rise of movements like the BYC and the activism of individuals such as Dr. Mahrang Baloch. This crackdown is not limited to Balochistan but extends to Karachi, which has a significant Baloch population. There is also a disturbing trend of increased harassment targeting Baloch women who speak out for their rights.
Due to the direct threats she received, the history of violence against her family members due to their Baloch identity and activism, and the pervasive climate of fear and persecution in Pakistan, Arif said, “I genuinely fear persecution, abduction, torture and even death if I return”. She has since returned to Canada, where she had initially sought safety, and is currently seeking asylum, hoping to live peacefully and without fear.
“My home is Turbat and I want to be safe there,” she says. “But what can I do if I am constantly under the threat of being abducted or killed in front of my children. I will be gone – what will happen to my children? Is this the future of Balochistan’s women who dare to speak out?”