The people of Balochistan, historically divided between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan through British policies such as the Durand Line, continue their struggle for national identity against policies of assimilation and repression. In Iran, the vast majority of the Baloch population are not granted identity documents, which deprives them of many rights ranging from education to healthcare. Although Iran and Pakistan formally recognize Baloch provinces, they have seized both underground and surface resources, leaving the Baloch people trapped in poverty.

 

In a geography where policies similar to those imposed on the Kurdish people of Kurdistan—divided between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria—are implemented, women carry the heaviest burden of geopolitical crises, patriarchal oppression and border conflicts. Baloch women, who have fought for their freedom and rights for years, resist oppression, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Aroosa Baloch (Zamur Azad), coordinator of the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, spoke to our agency about the experiences and struggle of Baloch women.

 

WOMEN CARRY A DOUBLE BURDEN

 

Stating that the Baloch people face different problems in every part where they are divided, Aroosa Baloch said: “For decades Baloch women have carried a dual burden: the personal pain of enforced disappearances and the responsibility of defending their people’s fundamental political and human rights. In a land divided by colonial borders and shaped by ongoing repression, women have often been pushed into public life by tragedy. When fathers, brothers, sons, and husbands disappear, grief transforms into resistance.”

 

A ROOTED TRADITION OF RESISTANCE

 

Recalling that Baloch women also resisted British patronage, Aroosa Baloch said: “Baloch women have historically stood against occupation, including during the period of British rule. Their participation in today’s struggle is part of a longer tradition of resistance rooted in dignity, memory, and attachment to their land. What we are witnessing today is not simply protest. It is a moral stand led by women who refuse to allow injustice to become normal. Their activism is not symbolic, it is central to the political consciousness of Baloch society. That is why their resistance is both historic and transformative. In many cases, their entry into public life has not been driven by ambition, but by necessity.”

 

Underlining the historical nature of the resistance of Baloch women, Aroosa Baloch said: “Balochistan was divided by British colonial intervention in the nineteenth century, fragmenting a historically contiguous region across what are now Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, and eliminating Balochistan from world map. These imposed borders reshaped political realities but did not erase collective memory, identity, or attachment to land. Since that period, cycles of conflict, militarization, and political marginalization have continued to shape the region. Baloch women have never been absent from these struggles. During resistance against British rule and subsequent political movements, they played active and often under-recognized roles. What we see today is therefore not a sudden awakening, but the continuation of a long historical tradition of participation in collective defense and political assertion. In contemporary times, their activism stands out because it confronts both state repression and the normalization of enforced disappearances. Mothers, daughters, and sisters have transformed personal loss into public testimony. Their resistance is not symbolic; it is structural and central to the political consciousness of Baloch society. In that sense, the current mobilization of Baloch women is both historic and deeply rooted, an expression of memory, dignity, and an enduring demand for justice.”

 

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF WOMEN FRIGHTENS AUTHORITIES

 

Aroosa Baloch stated that many Baloch women who lead protests have been arrested or abducted. “The arrest of women like Mahrang Baloch is not about law and order it is about silencing moral authority. When women speak especially women who have personally suffered from enforced disappearances their voice carries legitimacy that the state cannot easily discredit. Authorities arrest these women because they represent continuity. They are not temporary activists they are rooted in their communities. Arresting them is an attempt to break that continuity and intimidate the broader population. It is also a message:  If women can be punished no one is safe. Authoritarian systems often fear women’s participation in protest because it disrupts established narratives of power and control. When armed forces confront unarmed women, particularly mothers holding photographs of missing sons, the imbalance of power becomes starkly visible. The image itself becomes a form of political testimony. It challenges official narratives that portray resistance as violent, marginal, or extremist.”

 

Emphasizing that women transform the struggle, Aroosa Baloch continued: “Women’s presence also transforms the moral framework of a movement. Their participation broadens the struggle beyond conventional political activism and embeds it within the social fabric of the community. When women mobilize, the movement gains legitimacy, emotional resonance, and intergenerational continuity. Furthermore, women stepping into public leadership roles challenge not only state authority but entrenched systems of control more broadly. Their activism signals that resistance is no longer confined to a particular group, but has become collective and deeply rooted. That is why women are often targeted, not because they are weak, but because their participation is politically and morally transformative.”

 

A SPACE OF RESISTANCE AND MEMORY

 

Pointing out that Baloch women insist on continuing their resistance, Aroosa Baloch said: “Baloch women practice a form of resistance that is peaceful, persistent, and principled. Sitins, long marches, documentation of enforced disappearances, international advocacy, and community mobilization are the primary tools of our struggle. Despite immense repression, women have chosen disciplined and nonviolent forms of political engagement. As the coordinator of the Inter Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (IVBMP) and former vice chairperson of the Baloch Gohar (Sister) Movement, I have witnessed firsthand how women organize under constant surveillance, threats, harassment, and arrests. They build networks of solidarity across districts and generations. They educate young girls about political awareness and rights. They transform homes into spaces of discussion memory and resistance.”

 

‘KILL AND DUMP’ POLICY

 

Referring to enforced disappearances and unsolved murders targeting the Baloch, Aroosa Baloch said: “Like many Baloch women I have witnessed the mutilated bodies of young men discarded on roadsides. I have seen what is often described as kill and dump policies in practice. A 12-year-old child Chakar was killed. Members of my own extended family including my brothers-in-law, have been victims. These experiences are not isolated incidents they are part of a broader pattern that countless Baloch families have endured. This is why our resistance is intergenerational. It is rooted in lived trauma but it is guided by discipline and ethical commitment. Despite the scale of violence and provocation Baloch women have consistently chosen peaceful struggle. In a context marked by brutality that choice itself is a profound political statement.”

 

RESISTANCE IS ORGANIZED ON THREE FOUNDATIONS

 

Aroosa Baloch emphasized that the resistance of Baloch women rests on three main foundations:

 

“The first is documentation and visibility. We continue systematically documenting enforced disappearances extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations. In contexts where silence is imposed documentation becomes an act of resistance. It prevents erasure and preserves historical record.

 

The second is peaceful civic mobilization. We organize sitins, long marches, seminars, and public awareness campaigns at both national and international levels. Our aim is to sustain public attention and ensure that the issue of Baloch rights remains part of broader human rights discourse.

 

The third is building solidarity networks. We actively cultivate alliances with journalists human rights defenders legal advocates women’s movements and civil society organizations globally. The struggle of Baloch women is not isolated it intersects with global movements for justice dignity and freedom. Repression may intensify but our commitment to peaceful organized and principled resistance will not waver. Our strength lies not in force but in moral clarity collective memory and sustained civic action.”

 

THE PROBLEM IS POLITICAL, NOT MILITARY

 

Aroosa Baloch underlined that the problems faced by the Baloch are political, and therefore the solution cannot be military. She said: “History has repeatedly shown that force may suppress dissent temporarily but it cannot extinguish a people’s political aspirations. From a Baloch perspective Balochistan was incorporated into both Iran and Pakistan through coercive means and governance since then has largely reflected a centralized security driven approach reminiscent of colonial administration. Baloch nation view this not as voluntary integration but as continued occupation. And occupation regardless of how long it endures does not transform into legitimacy simply through the passage of time. At its core the issue is about freedom dignity and political agency. The Baloch seek the right to determine their own future and to exercise meaningful control over their land and resources. The continued militarization of the region enforced disappearances and restrictions on political expression have deepened rather than resolved the conflict. Resistance in this context should not be understood merely as reaction but as a historical pattern observable wherever nations perceive themselves to be occupied or systematically marginalized. When communities feel dispossessed and politically silenced movements for self determination inevitably emerge. A genuine and lasting resolution requires demilitarization the end of enforced disappearances and collective punishment and most importantly recognition of the Baloch people’s right to freely and democratically determine their political status.”

 

WOMEN’S FREEDOM IS INTERCONNECTED

 

Aroosa Baloch’s message for March 8, International Women’s Day, was as follows:

“On March 8th International Women’s Day my message is clear. Baloch women are not asking for sympathy we are asking for solidarity. To women around the world I say this: your freedom and ours are interconnected. When a mother in Balochistan searches for her disappeared son she is defending the same universal principles that women everywhere uphold the right to live without fear the right to justice and the right to be heard. International Women’s Day is not only a celebration of progress it is also a reminder of unfinished struggles. In Balochistan women stand at the frontlines not because they seek visibility but because injustice has left them no alternative. They have transformed grief into organized, peaceful resistance. Our message is simple but urgent: silence enables oppression while solidarity disrupts it. Baloch women have turned mourning into movement. And as long as injustice persists our resistance will continue with courage with dignity and with hope.”

 

MA / Berivan Kutlu