Baloch protesters on Tuesday called for a shutterdown demonstration across the country tomorrow (January 3), saying that state officials were trying to label the Baloch long march and sit-in in Islamabad as “propaganda”.
“The state has consistently shown a half-hearted and uncommitted concern regarding our demands from the beginning,” the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, organiser of the protest demanding an end to enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Balochistan, said in a social media post.
“Hence, on Jan 3, we are calling for a shutterdown demonstration across Pakistan. We urge people from all walks of life to advocate and respect our call for the shutterdown strike in the name of humanity and the Baloch nation, aiming to preserve our identity,” it added.
Baloch protesters, who have been camping outside the National Press Club for over a week now, had on December 28 given the government a seven-day ultimatum to fulfil their demands which include the release of all protesters detained during police action, detailed investigation into rights violations in Balochistan, elimination of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, release of all victims of enforced disappearances, restrictions on the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and elimination of “state-sponsored death squads”.
In a video message shared on social media today, Dr Mahrang Baloch, one of the protest organisers, said the protest march had begun after a Baloch youth was allegedly killed in custody by the CTD.
Dr. Mahrang, a spokesperson for the movement against enforced disappearances and murders in Balochistan, stated that the protest has widespread support among the province’s residents. She accused Islamabad police of using force to disrupt the long march and claimed that fake First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against protesters nationwide. Dr. Mahrang highlighted over 20 recent forced disappearances in Balochistan and demanded that those in illegal custody be presented before courts for a fair trial. She called on the nation to support the Baloch people’s call for a shutdown strike.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar criticized support for the protest, suggesting that those backing it should join Baloch militants. Dr. Mahrang responded, emphasizing the movement’s clear demands for an end to human rights violations and the Baloch genocide. She expressed a desire for negotiations with the state but criticized the government’s irresponsibility, torture of peaceful protestors, and media trials against the movement. Dr. Mahrang vowed to persist in informing the world about the alleged oppression and barbarism by the state.
