Pakistan: Security forces detain Baloch protesters despite govt denials

Even though the federal government claimed to have released 90% of the protestors, including all women and children, several Baloch demonstrators were still being held in custody following Islamabad police’s brutal crackdown on them during a rally against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in their province.

The allegations were made in sharp contrast to footage that surfaced late on Thursday night, according to a Dawn report, showing police forcing women into buses and returning them to Quetta. The authorities had held lengthy negotiations with the demonstrators before deciding to delay their “repatriation” until Friday.

The protesters were adamant they would not budge unless all of them — including the ones booked in FIRs — were released. Two buses full of Baloch women were parked outside the police station, watched over by guards.

In the meantime, temporary ministers Jamal Nasir, Murtaza Solangi, and Fawad Hassan Fawad informed reporters that all women and children had been freed, with the exception of the men, who the police said “could not be identified.” Fawad added that the caretaker PM had established a team to have talks with the demonstrators after the late-night crackdown.

During a march in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday, a number of Baloch protestors were arrested and subjected to baton charges by police. This action provoked a backlash from politicians, human rights organisations, and analysts who denounced the police action as a “violent state crackdown”. Mahrang Baloch, an activist and protest organiser, is among the at least 200 persons who may have been detained, according to reports.

Several men and women were taken into custody by the Islamabad police during a protest against the forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch people. Social media videos showed security personnel pulling men and women and striking them with clubs after firing water cannons and tear gas at the demonstrators.

However, as the protesters marched towards the Pakistan capital, the police blocked entry points of the city along with other roads to prevent the protesters from reaching the National Press Club, causing massive traffic jams on busy roads along the federal capital.

On the other hand, the counsel for Baloch protesters informed the IHC that more than 50 Baloch women protesters ‘went missing’ on Wednesday night, following the police action. Baloch citizens carried out rallies and demonstrations against alleged “state terrorism” and acts of forced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and fake encounters by the Pakistan government at multiple locations across the country.

(With agency inputs)