Baloch group accuses Pakistan of 'systematic repression' during Islamabad protest

Quetta, July 26 (IANS) Dozens of Baloch families on Saturday slammed Pakistan for its "systematic repression" as their sit-in protest entered the 11th day in Islamabad.

The ongoing protest calls for the release of several leaders from Balochistan and bringing an end to enforced disappearances and killings which have become the new norm in the troubled Pakistani province.

"Roads leading to the Press Club remain sealed off with buses, blockades and barbed wire. No camp has been allowed, even in this unbearable heat, where elderly women and children are fainting daily due to exposure. Despite this, the families stand firm,” read a statement issued by leading Baloch human rights organisation, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).

"Now, the harassment has intensified. Men affiliated with intelligence agencies, accompanied and facilitated by Islamabad police, are profiling participants, especially young male protestors. They record videos without consent, hover around the protest site, and stalk families to their residences, attempting to pressure them into vacating," the BYC added.

Meanwhile, several human rights groups on Saturday highlighted the ongoing wave of enforced disappearances across Balochistan.

Human rights group Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) mentioned that Muslim Dad Baloch, a student of philosophy at the Karachi University, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistan's security forces on the evening of July 25.

"The targetting of Baloch students for their identity is a grave violation of human rights and academic freedom," the BVJ stated.

On the other hand, Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, strongly condemned the enforced disappearances of Abdul Rehman from Barkan and Imran Baloch from Kech district in Balochistan. It stated that both Abdul and Imran were illegally detained and forcibly disappeared by the Pakistan Army on July 15 and June 27, respectively.

Revealing another incident of violence against Baloch civilians, the BYC mentioned that Mazar Baloch, a resident of Awaran district, was extrajudicially killed by Pakistan-backed death squads on July 21.

The BYC stated that Mazar had previously been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in 2015. During his five years of illegal detention, he endured inhumane torture at the hands of the Pakistani forces. It stated that he was released in 2020, but like many former detainees, he remained under constant surveillance and harassment.

According to the human rights body, after his release, Mazar was frequently summoned to the central cantonment in Mashkai by the Pakistani army and intelligence agencies. On July 21, he was again asked to report to Pakistan's Frontier Corps headquarters.

“Following the visit, he was abducted and later found shot dead in Khandri, Mashkai, by state-backed death squads operating under the patronage of the Pakistani forces," the BYC stated.

Various human rights organisations of Balochistan have time and again highlighted the repression by Pakistani forces in the province, which includes violent raids on the homes of Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, the 'kill and dump' policy, detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases.

--IANS

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