Thousands of protesters, led by prominent Baloch activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch, marched towards Quetta’s Red Zone on Friday evening to support the sit-in protest initiated the previous night. They demanded the recovery of forcibly disappeared Zaheer Baloch, the release of protesters arrested on Thursday night, and condemned the police crackdown on the families of Baloch missing persons.
Zaheer’s family had been staging a sit-in camp for over a week in the Sariab area of Quetta, protesting his disappearance and that of other Baloch missing persons. On Thursday, the protesters marched peacefully through the streets of Quetta.
However, the march was met with severe police violence at two locations. Nine protesters were injured by police gunfire, with one reported to be in critical condition. The police also used baton charges and tear gas, injuring several protesters, including women and children. Women’s scarves were reportedly pulled off during the violence.
According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), 27 people were detained by the police and held at various locations. Six women, who were placed in a police van, went on a hunger strike. Reports suggest these women were released last night, although this has not been confirmed.
At a late-night press conference on Thursday, Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, along with DIG CTD and DIG Police Aitzaz Ahsan Goraya, claimed that Zaheer Zeb Baloch, who disappeared a few days ago, is the brother of BLA commander Basheer Zeb Baloch, who was involved in the Mach and Gwadar attacks and the kidnapping of “picnickers” from the Shaban area of Quetta. Langove insisted that Zaheer Zeb Baloch is not in the custody of any state institution.
Zaheer Baloch’s family dismissed the Home Minister’s statement, asserting that Zaheer has been working at his government office for the past fifteen years, as supported by the attendance register. They accused the Home Minister of lying and claimed that Zaheer was forcibly disappeared by CTD and intelligence personnel in broad daylight. Despite twelve days of protests, no FIR has been registered for Zaheer’s disappearance.
The police actions and the Home Minister’s statement sparked widespread condemnation from political, human rights, and social circles on Thursday. These groups called for accountability and argued that Zaheer’s enforced disappearance cannot be justified by his familial ties.
In a series of latest condemnations, Amnesty International also condemned the illegal use of force by the police in Quetta, including the use of tear gas and batons during the peaceful protest on July 11 and the arbitrary and illegal arrests of peaceful protesters.
In a statement on ‘X’, Amnesty International said, “The protest was organised by the Baloch community in Quetta calling for the safe return of Zaheer Ahmed Baloch, who was forcibly disappeared on 27 June. Amnesty International has received information of several protesters who were injured and are in need of urgent medical treatment. The arbitrary detention of peaceful protestors is a violation of international human rights law under Articles 9 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Pakistan is a signatory.”
Amnesty International called on the Government of Pakistan to immediately provide medical treatment to the injured protesters, particularly those still in police custody, and to immediately disclose the whereabouts of the detained protesters. “Protesters should be released immediately or charged with internationally recognizable offenses and tried fairly in civilian courts, and all charges against peaceful protesters should be dropped,” Amnesty added.