The sit-in protest in Turbat against the fake police encounter leading to the death of young Balaach has persisted for several days. Demonstrations supporting this cause are occurring in various cities of Balochistan and Pakistan. The movement denounces fake police encounters, highlighting the plight of families affected by atrocities along the Goldsmid Line and hundreds of enforced disappearances at the hands of Paksitani forces.
While leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party and Muslim League-N are in Quetta preparing for elections and pledging to address Balochistan’s issues, the protests in Turbat and Islamabad demands more than mere lip service.
The state’s strategies to quell the Baloch insurgency, marked by collective punishment, enforced disappearances, and alleged fake police encounters, have proven ineffective. Resolving the Baloch problem is deemed essential to quelling the movements and insurgency in Balochistan.
Voice for Baloch Missing Persons reports that over two hundred forcibly disappeared individuals have allegedly been killed in fake encounters by the Anti-Terrorism Department of the Police across Balochistan in the past two years. Relatives of the victims continue their protests, with thousands participating in the Turbat protest against the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balach.
The people of Balochistan, worn down by state oppression, may escalate their protest into a larger movement if the reported extrajudicial killings persist. Failing to halt such incidents could exacerbate the state’s problems in Balochistan.