Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet most marginalized province, is a land where women’s resilience collides daily with systemic oppression. From tribal patriarchy to state violence, Baloch women navigate intersecting layers of discrimination, their voices echoing both defiance and despair.
Balochistan’s tribal ethos, governed by Sardars and Jirgas, enforces a rigid patriarchal order. Women are confined to domestic roles, their mobility restricted by practices like purdah (seclusion) and early marriages , often used to settle disputes or strengthen alliances . In rural areas, girls are traded like commodities post-conflict, their futures bartered for tribal reconciliation or financial gain. Pashtun women in Balochistan face similar constraints under Pashtunwali a code prioritizing male honor .
Feudal lords and tribal elites monopolize resources, perpetuating cycles of poverty. Regions like Dera Murad Jamali , Dera Bugti,khulo and Sobutpur exemplify this inequality, where women lack access to land, education, and decision-making power. The Sardari system sidelines formal law, leaving women vulnerable to honor-based violence and forced marriages .
State violence exacerbates women’s suffering. Enforced disappearances of Baloch men—often fathers, brothers, or sons—have thrust women into the dual role of caregivers and protesters. Dr. Mahrang Baloch is example of one of them .this symbolizes this ongoing tragedy.
Unlike Punjab, Balochistan lacks women’s police stations or helplines, leaving victims of domestic abuse without recourse . Female literacy in Balochistan is a dismal 32.8%, with rural areas far worse.women literacy rate in Dera Bugti is only 2 percent.only 25 percent of girls’s schools are functional but most of them even don’t have washrooms .Tribal norms deem girls’ education unnecessary, prioritizing early marriages instead . Women’s labor force participation is among Pakistan’s lowest ten percent, confined to informal sectors like handicrafts. Economic dependence on men traps them in abusive households . Maternal mortality rates soar due to inadequate healthcare.35 women have been dead in last thirteen months in just Dera Bugti which is constituency of the current Chief minister Balochistan Mir Sarfraz Khan Bugti.sardar bhadur khan women university is only Women university in province.it’s another paradox that women university with male name , Which shows male -dominance.Deaths from preventable cause postpartum hemorrhages, domestic violence, or lack of treatment—are tragically common .
Baloch women are virtually absent from political leadership. Reserved assembly seats exist, but real power rests with male Sardars and establishment backed figures. Figures like Zubaida Jalal (ex-federal minister), current education ministeress ,And deputy speaker of Balochistan is females but all of them came from reserve seats . Dr. Marang Baloch are exceptions in a system designed to exclude women . The province has no female-led administrative bodies, and initiatives like Punjab’s women’s helplines are nonexistent .
Amidst oppression, Baloch women are redefining resistance. The BYC, led by Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen, has mobilized thousands, demanding an end to disappearances and resource exploitation .Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a physician-activist, embodies this duality. From leading student unions to organizing graveside vigils, she frames education and collective action as acts of defiance . These women defy tribal taboos, risking their lives to amplify Balochistan’s cries on global platforms .
Balochistan’s women are not mere victims but architects of a movement bridging tribal legacies and modern resistance. Their fight—against feudal exploitation, state violence, and patriarchal norms—demands urgent attention. To dismantle oppression, Pakistan must address systemic inequities: investing in education, healthcare, and women’s institutions while halting repression. Until then, Baloch women will continue their march—from Turbat’s deserts to Islamabad’s streets—carrying the weight of a nation’s silenced hopes.
“Resistance is life,” they chant. For Balochistan’s women, it is the only path to survival.
The author is a Balochistan-based columnist and human rights advocate focusing on gender inequality and education5
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