In Turbat, the main city of Kech district in Balochistan, state agencies carried out a nighttime crackdown on a peaceful protest sit-in that had been ongoing for five days against the closure of the Iranian border. Numerous protesters were arrested and forcibly disappeared by Pakistani Forces.
According to sources, late at night, state forces raided the sit-in site located on the D-Baloch M-ETC CPEC highway, using baton charges, tear gas shells, and firing shots into the air. Protesters stated that the operation took place in the Abdui area of Turbat, where despite extreme heat reaching 50 degrees Celsius, people were peacefully protesting for their constitutional right to earn a livelihood.
Protesters said the closure of the Abdui border has cut off the only source of local employment. They stressed that every citizen has the right to dignified employment under the state constitution, but instead of dialogue, peaceful protesters were attacked around 2 a.m. “If the district administration’s action was constitutional, it would have been done in daylight. The attack under cover of darkness shows they themselves don’t have faith in their operation,” one protester said.
They further stated that when district officials, including the deputy commissioner, lack the authority to resolve public issues, it raises questions about who really holds power. Protesters accused powerful forces of not only monopolizing authority but also using levies and police as weapons to suppress public protests.
The participants claimed that any citizen in Balochistan who peacefully raises their voice politically and democratically for their rights faces repression through state power. They strongly condemned the violence and arrests of activists and laborers, including Sadiq Fatah, district organizer of the Haq Do Tehreek Kech.
According to protesters, the current situation clearly indicates that a de facto emergency exists in Balochistan, creating a martial law-like atmosphere. They reminded that the Constitution of Pakistan grants every citizen the right to peaceful protest, sit-ins, and freedom of expression depriving these rights is tantamount to pushing the country towards instability.
The protesters demanded:
- Immediate release of all peaceful protesters, political activists and laborers involved in the D-Baloch sit-in;
- Reopening the Abdui border at its previous point to restore the right to dignified employment;
- Ending the unconstitutional extortion (“Bhaad”) and stopping all extortion practices;
- Recognition and respect for constitutional and legal rights;
- That the silent elected representatives of the area accept their responsibilities.
The protesters accused the state of staging the “India Conspiracy” drama while the real troublemaker is the military establishment. They emphasized that only justice and respect, not power, can guarantee peace.
