March 25, 2025
Staff Report
LAHORE
On Tuesday – day four of the situation unfolding in Balochistan – more protests continued after a call by the Balochistan National Party (BNP), and a shutter-down strike was observed in various cities of Balochistan condemning the arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders.
According to reports emerging from the province, the region is rife with tension and violence, as protesters continue to take to streets, and business centers, and educational institutions remained closed in several cities, including Dalbandin, Surab, Mastung, Khuzdar, Kalat, Hub, and Gwadar.
BNP’s Akhtar Mengal has announced that protest demonstrations will be held across Balochistan, while on Thursday, March 28, a long march from Wadh to Quetta will take place.
Party leaders have stated that the immediate release of the arrested BYC leaders should be ensured, and serious action must be taken on the issue of enforced disappearances.
Arrest of BYC activists in Karachi
On Monday, the BYC had called for a protest outside the Karachi Press Club. As soon as the protesters reached near Karachi Press Club, the police sealed the roads and prevented them from advancing. During this time, BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch and other activists attempted to remove the barriers.
In response, the police launched a crackdown and roughed up the protesters including women. Six of the activsts were taken into custody including Sammi Deen Baloch, one of the central leaders of the BYC. In previous protests also Sammi Deen was roughed up by the police and detained.
Background
The current wave of protests by the BYC began after Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Beberg Baloch and others held a press conference at the Quetta Press Club claiming that the bodies being kept in the civil hospital in the aftermath of the Jaffer Express incident, were being posed as those of militants, while they had the possibility of being those of missing persons. They said that missing persons who had been abducted, framed and tortured, were killed and shown as terrorists.
After Bebarg and his brother were picked up as a result, BYC did a sit-in on Friday at Sariab Road, Quetta, for the recovery of Bebarg Baloch, his brother, and eight missing persons from the Qambrani family. The police used tear gas, water cannons, and aerial firing to disperse the protesters, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, according to BYC, while multiple others were injured.
The protesters continued their demonstration by placing the bodies of the deceased at the protest site. However, the police carried out further crackdowns, arresting BYC leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch along with five other individuals and taking the bodies into custody, secretly buried them.
Meanwhile the police have transferred the arrested individuals to Quetta District Jail for one month under the Public Order Law (Three MPO) and have registered multiple cases against them. While the police claim that there is an FIR includes charges of attacking a government hospital, interfering in state affairs, and rebellion against the state.
The arrest of Mahrang Baloch and other activists has been condemned by human rights organizations, political parties, and civil society representatives.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly condemned the arrests. In a statement, the HRCP said that these activists were peacefully protesting in Karachi, and the police action against them is completely unjustified.