The situation in Quetta returned to normal on Sunday, one day after a partial closure, while a closing strike continued for a second day in some cities of Baluchistan in response to a call from the Baloch Jakjehti Committee (Byc), which demanded the release of its leadership.
The strike follows the arrests of the BYC chief organizer, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, and another 16 activists from his protest camp on the Quetta Sariab road, as well as a police repression about his sitting against alleged forced disappearances.
Mahrang had been leading the protest against the arrests of the BYC Bray Baloch activist, his brother, and the deputy director of Bolan Medical College, Dr. Ilyas Baloch and the members of her family. Dr. Ilyas and his relatives have been released. Participants also protested against the supposed burial of 13 bodies without identification.
The strike call was broadcast after the Byc said Friday that three of his protesters were killed by white shooting by the police. However, Quetta commissioner Hamza Shafqaat had denied the claim, saying that the deaths were alleged shots by “armed elements that accompany BYC leadership.”
According to a Dawn.com Correspondent, the situation in Quetta returned to normal today after the provincial capital yesterday observed a partial closure and a Wheel-Jam strike.
While the main businesses and markets remained open on Saturday, Sariab Road, Brewery Road and some other areas on the outskirts of the city had remained closed.
The stores in Gwadar and Surab, where a strike was reported yesterday, also reopened today, Dawn.com The correspondents said.
On his side, the byc issued a call for another protest on the Qambrani road in Quetta at 4pm today.
He said that the protest was against the actions of the State in Baluchistan, as well as the arrest of Mahrang and other leaders, and urged the people of the province to leave their homes to support the movement.
In a statement about Mahrang’s X account, his sister urged the public to raise his voice for the “safe liberation of Mahrang Baloch, Bato Baloch, Bagagar Baloch and his friends.”
“While she (Mahrang) remains illegally detained by the state of Pakistan, I will administer this account and provide updates on her situation,” said the publication supposedly made by her sister.
Some Baluchistan cities remain closed
However, the closing attacks continued in the districts of Kech’s Turbat, as well as in the districts of Panjgur, Noshki, Kalat and Chagai, Dawn.com Informed correspondents.
The protests of the BYC supporters were also carried out in Kech and Bhawani near the hub on the Karachi-Quetta road, where the traffic had been suspended yesterday due to the road blockages.
The Byc shared alleged images of closed stores in Kech, Noshki, Kharan and Kalat. The videos shared by the Committee also showed dozens, mostly women, in a sitting in Kech and a manifestation supposedly held in Chagai.
In another publication, the byc said that a protester was arrested today in Hub, since “police and security personnel launched an offensive in the protest field, where families of missing persons and BYC activists met peacefully.”
“They disassembled the tent, fired tear gas and opened fire, sabotaging the protest,” he added.
On Saturday, strikes had been reported in Mastung, Khuzdar, Hub, Bela, Surab, Gwadar, Dera Murad Jamali and some other areas as well.
Meanwhile, the roads in Khuzdar, Surab, Kalat and Mastung opened last night after conversations were held with local administrations. Traffic had been suspended yesterday between Quetta and Karachi, as well as Quetta and Taftan due to road block.
For Saturday night, BYC supporters were present in the Saroyan area and the ‘clashes’ between protesters and the Byc continued. The police were using tear gas to disperse the mafia.
The reports also suggested that the Post Office of the University of Baluchistan and many stores in Sariab Road had been burned, while a heavy contingent was present in the area to disperse the protesters.
In a statement yesterday, Shafqaat had denied the statement that the police had killed three people when shooting against the protesters during the sitting by Quetta. The commissioner said that Byc initiated a protest on March 21 demanding the recovery of the bodies of individuals killed during the operation of Jaffar Express.
However, the protest quickly became violent as BYC’s protesters and her armed accomplices allegedly resorted to indiscriminate shots and attacks against police staff. During the riots, three people lost their lives due to the alleged layoffs for “armed elements that accompany BYC leadership.”
“The civil authorities and the police emphasized that the bodies of the deceased people needed an exam to determine the real circumstances of their deaths. Despite knowing that the three, one of whom was an Afghan citizen, were killed by their own associates, the leadership of Byc refused to deliver the bodies.
HDT Hidayatur Rehman ‘Chief Ready to mediate’
Separately, Haq Do Tehreek chief Maulana Hidayatur Rehman said he was ready to mediate between the Government and the Byc to reduce tensions.
Rehman, also a MPA of Baluchistan by Jamaat-I-Islami, said in a statement issued by HDT that “Baluchistan people cannot afford more bodies.”
Expressing concern for recent incidents in Quetta related to the byc, Rehman said that “peace cannot be established with violence and coercion.”
Rehman said he was ready to mediate, with the agreement of the parties, so that the “release of prisoners and public relief was possible.” He stressed that any additional conflict would not be of public interest since people were the most affected by the current situation.
