QUETTA: Police and local administration in Quetta on Sunday prevented the families of detained leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), including relatives of Mahrang Baloch, from holding a press conference at the Quetta Press Club.
According to family members, they had planned to address the media regarding the continued detention of BYC leaders, legal proceedings against them and concerns over Dr Mahrang Baloch’s health. However, they said that police cordoned off the Quetta Press Club and stopped them from entering the premises.
Relatives said that when they attempted to hold the press conference outside the press club building, police personnel created further obstacles and did not allow them to proceed.
Speaking to journalists outside the press club, Dr Mahrang’s sister and other family members stated that the detained BYC leadership has now completed one year in custody. “We wanted to speak about the cases against BYC leaders and Dr Mahrang Baloch’s health condition, but since morning we have been stopped outside the press club and told to first obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Deputy Commissioner,” they said.
The families claimed that while other groups were allowed to hold press conferences without being asked for an NOC, they were specifically denied permission. When they questioned the differential treatment, they were told that “orders from above” restricted press conferences to certain families, excluding those of missing persons or political activists.
According to Dr Mahrang’s sister, the families eventually sat on the steps outside the press club and began addressing the media informally. She said that a heavy police contingent then arrived and attempted to disperse journalists to prevent coverage of their remarks.
The families further criticized the administration, claiming that the situation in Balochistan has reached a point where people are not allowed to speak or raise questions freely.
There was no immediate official response from the police or district administration regarding the allegations made by the families.
