Pakistani security forces raided a sit-in protest in Quetta early Saturday morning, forcibly taking custody of the bodies of three slain protesters and detaining leading activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch alongside several other members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Their whereabouts remain unknown.
The sit-in began on Friday evening in Quetta’s Sariab area, following the killing of three protesters and injury of dozens more. The initial violence erupted earlier on Friday, when police opened fire and used tear gas and water cannons to break up a BYC-led demonstration against enforced disappearances.
Related: Quetta Crackdown: Three Killed as Families Launch Sit-In with Bodies
In a statement issued late on Friday, the Balochistan government said officers “acted in accordance with the law” after demonstrators allegedly assaulted police personnel. However, eyewitnesses and activists dispute the claim, accusing Pakistani forces of using excessive force against peaceful protesters.
The BYC said that police and state agencies carried out a violent raid on the sit-in at around 5:30 AM Saturday. The group says bodies of the slain protesters were forcibly taken, and several activists were arrested, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch—the central organizer of the BYC.
“Quetta police and the administration have arrested Dr. Mahrang Baloch, along with her companions, and forcibly taken possession of the bodies of our martyred youth,”
the BYC said.
“Women and children present at the protest site were also subjected to violence.”
Condemning the raid as an “act of terrorism,” the BYC demanded the immediate release of all detained activists and the return of the seized bodies.
Meanwhile, a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike is now under way across Balochistan, in response to Friday’s events. Shops, business centres, and major highways across multiple districts have closed.
“Tomorrow, businesses will remain closed, and transport will come to a halt in response to the state’s brutality,”
the BYC announced in a statement on Friday night.