From Local Struggle to Global Cause: Framing Strategies in the Baloch Long March Movement

Abstract

This article analyses the strategic framing of the Baloch Long March (2023–2024) about a local human rights struggle aimed at garnering international attention. Employing Snow and Benford’s framing framework (diagnostic, prognostic, motivational), we performed a qualitative content analysis of the movement’s communications, which encompassed social media posts, campaign materials, public statements, and press coverage. The examination centres on the creation of narratives, the use of visual symbols, the implementation of hashtag campaigns, and the strategies of emotional engagement. Diagnostic frameworks categorise enforced disappearances and killings as a systematic “genocide” in Balochistan, establishing a connection between these violations and the exploitative China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) development. Prognostic frames suggest the mobilisation of global civil society and the exertion of pressure on international bodies through mechanisms such as hashtags (#UNforBalochistan, #IStandWithBalochMarch) to facilitate intervention. The use of motivational framing relied on collective identity and emotional resonance: rallies spearheaded by women, particularly Dr. Mahrang Baloch, invoked personal loss to foster a sense of solidarity. Visual symbols, such as posters in Geneva and images of martyrs, along with hashtag-driven campaigns like #StopBalochGenocide and #LiberateBalochistan, effectively enhanced the visibility of the cause beyond national boundaries. The implementation of these strategies effectively reframed the grievances of the Baloch as issues of universal human rights, thereby facilitating the mobilisation of diaspora networks. The results demonstrate the capacity of local protest groups to utilise narrative and media strategies to elevate a regional conflict into a global advocacy initiative.