Quetta (Monitoring Desk): The spokesperson of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has issued a statement condemning the brutal crackdown by Pakistani security forces on their peaceful protest.
The statement recalled that the BYC had announced a sit-in protest in Quetta, demanding the release of its central committee member Bebarg Baloch, his brother Hammal Baloch, Dr. Ilyas Baloch, and other forcibly disappeared individuals, including Baloch woman Saeeda and several others.
From the very beginning, the state responded with violent repression. Protesters were arrested and security forces launched an assault using baton charges, tear gas shelling and mass detentions. Communication networks were shut down and search operations were conducted in Sariab to detain more protesters. The indiscriminate firing by security forces led to the killing of three people and injuries to several others.
At 5:30 AM today, security forces carried out a brutal pre-dawn raid on the sit-in. Baloch women, children, and peaceful protesters were subjected to severe violence. Authorities forcibly seized the bodies of those killed, despite plans by the protesters to hold funeral prayers for them today. BYC organizer Dr. Mahrang Baloch, along with many others, was dragged and arrested during the crackdown.
