A protest demonstration was held on Thursday outside the University of Balochistan in Quetta’s Sariab area, organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
The protest condemned the enforced disappearance of Bebarg Baloch, his brother, and other victims of enforced disappearances, as well as the violence against families who had gathered to identify the bodies of their missing loved ones.
According to local sources, police initially attempted to block the demonstration. However, under public pressure, the police retreated, allowing the protest to proceed.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mahrang Baloch accused Pakistan’s military and state institutions of violating the constitution and using force to silence dissent.
“Our demand was within the framework of this country and its constitution, but here the constitution and the law are carried in the pockets of the military,” she said.
“Today, our struggle is not only against the armed forces but also against Pakistan’s law enforcement institutions, which have become tools of these forces.”
Dr Baloch further alleged that state security agencies routinely label victims of enforced disappearances as “absconders,” only to later discard their mutilated bodies.
She criticised the state narrative on Balochistan, asserting, “Believe me, the Baloch are now far removed from your narrative,” she added. “You have been testing your strength on Balochistan for the past seven decades.”
The BYC said the protest was organized in response to the abductions and continued harassment of Baloch activists and families of missing persons.
On Wednesday night, BYC leader Bebarg Baloch and his younger brother Dr. Hammal Baloch were forcibly disappeared by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) from Sariab.
Earlier on Tuesday, several women sustained injuries when Pakistani forcces baton-charged families who had gathered outside Quetta’s Civil Hospital. The families were seeking to identify the remains of 23 unidentified bodies transferred to the hospital by Pakistani security forces three days prior.