The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in a statement shared on the social media platform ‘X’, has strongly condemned the excessive use of force by the state against peaceful protestors in Dera Ghazi Khan. These protests are part of the Long March against “Baloch Genocide” from Turbat to Islamabad.
The HRCP highlighted that the march’s participants were subjected to baton charges by the police, resulting in the arrest of several leaders and local activists. Furthermore, the protesters’ camp was demolished, an action criticized by the HRCP as a significant infringement of the protesters’ rights.
The Long March, according to the HRCP, is organized to protest against extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Balochistan. The protesters demand the state to protect the fundamental rights of Baloch citizens to life, liberty, and due process, as it does for other citizens. The HRCP emphasized that the state’s forceful response is a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
The HRCP called for the immediate and unconditional release of those arrested. It also insisted that the Long March should be allowed to continue to Islamabad peacefully and without hindrance.