The heavy-handed state crackdown against participants of the ‘Baloch National Gathering’ in Balochistan continues, with reports of detentions, road blockades, and halted food supplies, sparking outrage among activists and civil society groups.
According to reports, Pakistani forces have established checkpoints at key locations, such as Uthal Zero Point, to prevent trucks carrying essential goods from reaching Gwadar and the wider Makuran region.
Traders report that essential goods, including flour, sugar, and cooking oil, are stuck in trucks, leading to spoilage and creating a crisis for residents as shops struggle to meet demand. Additionally, authorities have reportedly stopped the water supply from the Shadi Kaur Dam to Gwadar for the past five days, exacerbating the situation for locals in Gwadar.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) issued a statement on the social media platform X, claiming that roads have been blocked for a week, resulting in severe food shortages and a communication blackout. “This is a form of collective punishment against an entire nation for the crime of practicing the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” the statement read.
Negotiations between the BYC and the government have been ongoing through an all-parties committee. However, the BYC claims that their demands, including the cessation of violence against protesters and the reopening of roads and internet services, have not been met.
BYC spokesperson said that “during these ongoing negotiations, peaceful protesters have been detained and tortured in Quetta and Karachi.” The spokesperson also stated that security forces fired on protesters in Noshki, resulting in one death and several injuries.
The BYC accused Pakistani authorities of failing to uphold promises made during negotiations and appealed to the United Nations to intervene, warning that the situation poses a risk to millions in Gwadar and across the Makuran region.
In Karachi, civil society groups gathered outside the Karachi Press Club on Saturday to protest against the treatment of Baloch protesters. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Gwadar ka mahasara band karo” (stop the siege of Gwadar) and called for an end to the crackdown.
“We won’t back down until the oppression stops,” said Virsa Pirzado, a member of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women. “The state clampdown is unacceptable, the way they arrested them is unacceptable, the way they beat up Baloch women and children is unacceptable.”
It should be noted that on Friday, Karachi police reportedly manhandled protest participants and detained around 50 BYC members, including women, as they attempted to gather near the Arts Council roundabout to protest ‘state violence’ against the participants of the ‘Baloch National Gathering.’
The ‘Baloch National Gathering,’ held in Gwadar on July 28, was organized by the BYC to protest against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, military operations, and other human rights abuses in Balochistan. However, Pakistani authorities used force to sabotage the gathering, leading the BYC to extend the protest into a sit-in, now in its eighth day.
In a recent post on X, the BYC outlined several key demands to end the protests across Balochistan. They are calling for the filing of First Information Reports (FIRs) against officials responsible for firing incidents in Mastung, Talaar, Gwadar, Noshki, and Turbat, where protesters were reportedly injured or killed by security forces. The BYC demands that the Home Department ensure no further use of force or violence by state military forces.
Additionally, they insist that the Chief Minister and his cabinet visit Gwadar to acknowledge, in a press conference with the BYC, that the government is responsible for the damages caused during this period.
The BYC is also calling for the immediate release of all participants who have been arrested or forcibly disappeared and the quashing of all FIRs against them. They demand that all roads be reopened, the undeclared curfew in Makuran, including Gwadar, be lifted, and water and internet services be restored across the region.
The BYC also calls for assurances that no participant or supporter of the ‘Baloch National Gathering’ will be harassed and no further FIRs will be filed in this regard. They are seeking compensation for financial damages suffered by the general public due to the state military and intelligence agencies’ actions during the gathering, including breaking into their homes, burning vehicles, or confiscating personal belongings.