The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has continued its protest campaign titled “Breaking the Silence: Standing Against Enforced Disappearances” across Balochistan, with demonstrations taking place in several regions. The protests, which seek justice for the many Baloch students and citizens who have been forcibly disappeared, aim to raise awareness and demand the safe return of the missing individuals.
In Kharan on Friday, the BYC organized a protest rally from Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Stadium to the Kharan Red Zone. The rally was attended by a large number of locals, including families of the missing persons, who held up photographs of their loved ones. The protesters chanted slogans against state institutions, demanding the immediate recovery of the disappeared.
The campaign has already witnessed protests in Karachi, Hub Chowki, Khuzdar, Turbat, and Panjgur, with Friday’s protest in Kharan being the latest in a series. The BYC has stated that, despite threats and aggression from the state, including attempts to counter these peaceful protests, their resolve for justice remains unwavering. The BYC has called on the public, especially the families of the disappeared, to participate in the protests and provide information about their missing relatives.
In Karachi, BYC protesters faced violent backlash from police and intelligence agencies, who attacked the demonstration, resulting in the arrest of several participants. Similarly, protesters in Hub and Khuzdar reported harassment by the authorities. On Thursday, during a protest in Panjgur, police also harassed demonstrators, while a youth named Haseeb was forcibly disappeared by a state-backed death squad. He was later released this morning in a severely injured condition.
In a related development, protestors in Panjgur and Turbat intensified their demonstrations by blocking the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highway, bringing traffic to a standstill. In Panjgur’s Bonistan area, the family of Sagheer Baloch, son of Abdul Samad, who was forcibly disappeared, staged a sit-in on the CPEC road, halting movement in both directions. Similarly, in Turbat’s Balgatar region, families of other missing Baloch individuals blocked the road, leading to long queues of vehicles.
The protesters at both locations have warned that unless their loved ones are brought back or made public, their sit-ins will continue indefinitely, and they plan to escalate their protests by blocking CPEC at various other points. (Balochistan Post)