QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN: Baloch Students Organization-Azad (BSO-Azad) has strongly condemned the killing of Baloch labourers by Pakistani Coast Guard personnel at an oil depot in the Kuntani area of Gwadar, describing the incident as an extreme act of state barbarism against civilians seeking nothing more than a livelihood.
In a statement issued by BSO-Azad spokesperson Sholan Baloch, the organization said that nearly a dozen labourers were killed in the attack. The spokesperson said Baloch civilians living under what the organization described as Pakistani occupation have been systematically deprived of their basic economic rights and are forced to work under extremely difficult conditions.
Sholan Baloch said the Kuntani incident is not isolated, alleging that Baloch labourers have repeatedly been targeted in the past, with their vehicles, shops and small businesses destroyed, and people beaten and humiliated on a daily basis. The statement also referenced a similar incident in the Jeewani area several months ago in which two labourers were killed.
The BSO-Azad spokesperson further said that government officials including Coast Guard, Frontier Corps, army and police personnel are engaged in extorting bribes from poor Baloch drivers and shopkeepers in the area and that after collecting fixed amounts, security personnel beat labourers, humiliate them and burn their vehicles and shops.
BSO-Azad called on Baloch political organizations, civil society and individuals to step up, protest and highlight the Kuntani incident before the wider world.
