Baloch protestors allege harassment by Islamabad Police, vow to continue protests

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 2 (ANI): The members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, the organisers of the ongoing Baloch movement, have raised their voice against the persistent harassment by the Islamabad Police and administration while expressing their determination to continue with their protest.
The committee’s social media post reads, “The Islamabad police and administration are continuously harassing us. We will continue our peaceful protest and request that the international media and institutions to convey our voice to the world.”

Urging international community to listen to their plight, the committee said, “Show the oppression of this state to the world; demonstrate that the Baloch people are being subjected to genocide, and we are not even given the right to peacefully protest against these oppressions and genocide.”
Despite facing oppression, the committee declared their commitment to a peaceful protest, urging international media and institutions to amplify their plight. Accusations of genocide and denial of the right to peaceful protest were emphasised.
This declaration comes amidst an ongoing peaceful protest by the Baloch community, which has been encamped outside the National Press Club in Islamabad for over a week. The protestors, organised by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, demand an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.
The situation intensified when the government, according to the committee, attempted to label their long march and sit-in as mere “propaganda.”
“The Islamabad police and administration are continuously harassing us. We will continue our peaceful protest and request the international media and institutions to convey our voice to the world. Show the oppression of this state to the world; demonstrate that the Baloch people are being subjected to genocide, and we are not even given the right to peacefully protest against these oppressions and genocide,” posted the Baloch Yakjehti Committee on X.
In response to perceived indifference from the state regarding their demands, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee has called for a nationwide shutdown demonstration on January 3. They urge people from all walks of life to support this move, framing it as a plea for humanity and the preservation of Baloch identity.
The ongoing protest, stationed outside the National Press Club for over a week, originally presented the government with a seven-day ultimatum on December 28. The demands include the release of detained protesters, detailed investigations into rights violations in Balochistan, an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and restrictions on the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), among others.
Mahrang Baloch, the face of the Baloch movement, highlighted the movement’s initiation following the alleged killing of a Baloch youth in custody by the CTD. Mahrang stressed the protestors’ opposition to decades-long enforced disappearances and murders in Balochistan, noting the administration’s use of force to disrupt the long march.
The caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, criticised supporters of the protest, suggesting they join Baloch militants if they believed in their cause. Mahrang responded, asserting the clarity of the protestors’ demands and the peaceful nature of their movement. She condemned the Prime Minister’s declaration of victims of enforced disappearances as terrorists and vowed to persist in informing the world about the alleged oppression and barbarism.
As tensions escalate, the situation remains fluid, with protestors steadfast in their determination to seek justice and garner international attention for their cause. (ANI)