THE detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch and other BYC activists, including women, are reported to have been on a hunger strike since Thursday to protest against alleged police brutality and the failure of the justice system to safeguard their rights. Meanwhile, BYC supporters are staging rallies across Balochistan for the release of activists who were arrested more than a month ago under the dubious MPO law. Veteran Baloch leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal has also denounced the detention of the women activists, terming it unprecedented in the province`s history. The BYC leadership has alleged that the authorities planned to separate the detainees by transferring them to different jails.

Mahrang is apparently facing the state`s wrath for forcefully raising her voice on the issue of enforced disappearances initially focusing on her own family and then as part of a broader movement. Since she was arrested, a malicious campaign has been launched against her on both social and mainstream media, linking her with Baloch secessionists and the gruesome attack targeting the Jaffar Express. But her support among the Baloch population has refused to wane. The PPP, which is leading the coalition in the conflict-ridden province, should know better than most about how women prisoners are treated by jail staff in the country. It must also know that no amount of state brutality has ever been able to break the resolve of political prisoners, especially women activists. The proponents of a `hard state`, too, should realise that their actions, which do not distinguish between militant separatists and political and rights activists, have deeply alienated an entire Baloch generation, embroiling the province in a cycle of endless violence. There is no doubt that the militant secessionist elements need to be dealt with sternly, even eliminated. But at the same time the state should engage with the more practical political voices from the province and address their legitimate demands. Time is of the essence in this context.