Tensions flared in Karachi on Monday as hundreds of Baloch activists and supporters took to the streets, demanding the immediate release of detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including prominent human rights advocate Mahrang Baloch.

The protests, sparked by a violent police crackdown on a Quetta sit-in last week that left three dead, saw Karachi police impose Section 144—banning gatherings—before dispersing crowds and arresting key BYC figures outside the Karachi Press Club.

Mahrang Baloch, a TIME100 Next honoree, was detained Saturday in Quetta alongside over 150 activists during a peaceful demonstration against alleged enforced disappearances. Charged with terrorism, sedition, and murder after the protest turned deadly, her arrest has ignited outrage.

In Karachi, the BYC and civil society allies rallied to condemn state brutality, but police swiftly intervened, detaining figures like Sami Din Baloch and Awami Workers Party members Muniba, Areej, and Hajra. Posts on X noted a stark contrast: while non-Baloch activists were reportedly freed, Baloch detainees faced FIRs.

The unrest follows a surge in Balochistan’s insurgency, highlighted by the Baloch Liberation Army’s recent train hijacking and deadly attacks. Protesters accuse Pakistan of silencing dissent through abductions and violence, a narrative bolstered by the recovery of activists’ bodies from Quetta’s civil hospital morgue last week.

In London, the Baloch National Movement protested outside 10 Downing Street, amplifying global calls for justice. As Karachi simmers under heavy security, the Baloch demand for freedom—and an end to repression—grows louder, testing Pakistan’s grip on its restive southwest.