Sat Mar 22 11:40:34 UTC 2025: ## Pakistani Activist Mahrang Baloch Arrested After Deadly Protest Crackdown
**QUETTA, Pakistan —** Prominent Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch was arrested on Saturday along with 17 other protesters following a violent crackdown on a sit-in in Quetta, Balochistan. At least three protesters were killed during the confrontation, with conflicting accounts emerging from both the protesters and authorities.
Baloch, a leading voice for the Baloch ethnic group, has long campaigned against alleged human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, and harassment by Pakistani security forces in the resource-rich province. The protesters had been demonstrating outside the University of Balochistan, demanding the release of fellow activists allegedly detained by security agencies.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee, a support group led by Baloch, described the crackdown as a brutal pre-dawn raid. A senior police official confirmed the arrests but declined to be named. Charges against the detainees are yet to be determined.
The incident follows a recent dramatic train siege in Balochistan that resulted in approximately 60 deaths. Separatist groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), continue to accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the province’s resources and suppressing dissent.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the violence, calling for an immediate end to the use of force against peaceful protestors and the release of those arbitrarily detained. They urged for a political solution to the ongoing conflict.
Baloch, who was previously barred from attending a TIME magazine awards gala, began her activism at 16 after her father’s alleged enforced disappearance. Women have played a prominent role in Baloch activism, often leading protests in the face of decades of state repression.
First Piper 