A sit-in protest continues in Mangochar against the enforced disappearance of a man, blocking the main highway for several hours.
Residents of Mangochar, in the Kalat district of Balochistan, have staged a sit-in on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway, blocking traffic. As a result, long queues of vehicles have formed on the highway.
The protest has been organized by the family and local residents of Abdul Hameed Bangulzai, who was allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance by Pakistani law enforcement forces.
According to sources in Kalat, personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC) arrived in Mangochar Bazaar in seven vehicles on Thursday evening and took Abdul Hameed Bangulzai into custody. He has been missing since then.
The protestors are demanding that the authorities and security forces immediately produce Abdul Hameed Bangulzai and ensure his release.
According to the demonstrators, Abdul Hameed runs a bakery shop in Mangochar Bazaar. They allege that Pakistani forces raided his shop, subjected him to violence, and then forcibly disappeared him. They have vowed to continue their sit-in on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway until he is released.
As of late at night, the highway remained blocked, and authorities have not yet issued any statement on the matter.