Sammi Deen Baloch, a prominent leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has strongly condemned the state’s heavy-handed response to a peaceful protest held in Hub Chowki, calling it a sign of the government’s fear of a nonviolent movement.
According to Baloch, the BYC had organized a peaceful demonstration to protest the alleged extrajudicial killing of Zeeshan Zaheer. The protest was scheduled to take place in front of the Lasbela Press Club. However, when demonstrators reached the site, they were reportedly denied permission to protest by the police and local authorities.
The protestors then shifted their demonstration to Hub Main Road. Even there, police allegedly used force to disperse the peaceful crowd. During the crackdown, four women and one man were arrested. Baloch claimed that plainclothes officers accompanying the police opened fire when the protesters resisted, and several individuals were beaten.
“Even after 24 hours, the families and legal representatives of those detained have not been allowed to meet them,” Baloch said. “The police are refusing to disclose the whereabouts of the arrested individuals. No FIR has been registered, nor has any legal case been presented.”
She further asserted that detaining five people, including four women, without any legal justification reflects not only the panic within state institutions but also a blatant violation of the constitution, the law, and the right to freedom of expression.
Sammi Deen Baloch concluded by saying, “This state crackdown and use of force against peaceful protests clearly shows that the state is fearful of an organized, peaceful movement that speaks out against oppression. Trying to silence such a movement only confirms the very injustice we are resisting.”
The incident has sparked criticism from human rights groups and political activists, who are demanding the immediate release of the detainees and an impartial investigation into the actions of law enforcement.
