Screengrab of the protest in Taunsa Sharif
The long march organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC) is set to reach the federal capital today (Wednesday), where demonstrators would gather at the Islamabad Press Club to demand an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
“We hope that all organizations and other social and human rights activists who raise their voice against enforced disappearances, and all those who raise their voice against state repression, will welcome the march that will reach Islamabad today and send a message to the oppressed,” an official of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons posted on X, formerly Twitter. “We are not alone in this fight,” she added.
The march, which commenced in Turbat more than 20 days ago, has been proceeding toward Islamabad, passing through Quetta, Dera Ghazi Khan and Taunsa Sharif. Thousands of locals have joined the protesters during their stops in various cities, calling for an end to alleged state repression.
Earlier, upon entering Punjab, the protesters had faced hurdles from police in D.G. Khan, which had detained several organizers, accusing them of violating Section 144, which bars the gathering of five or more people. Subsequently, the protesters had staged a sit-in, demanding the release of all detainees, and proceeded to Taunsa Sharif after police accepted their demands. However, authorities have refuses to dismiss the FIRs lodged against them, with rights body Amnesty International demanding they be withdrawn.
The journey from D.G. Khan to Taunsa saw thousands, including women and children, welcoming the protesters, with the demonstrators addressing a rally in Taunsa to thank them for their support.
The BYC protest was triggered by the killing of four people, including Balaach Mola Bakhsh, in an encounter, with the CTD claiming they were shot dead during an exchange of fire with militants. However, Bakhsh’s family’s maintains he was initially arrested without charge, before being declared a militant, and then being killed, without any legal recompense.