Activists from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) continued their hunger strike for a second consecutive day on Friday in Turbat, protesting the “illegal detention” of their leaders and demanding an end to “enforced disappearances” and “extrajudicial killings” in Balochistan.
The three-day protest began on Thursday outside the Turbat Press Club, where temperatures have reached nearly 50°C.
“Despite the blistering 50°C heat, members of the Baloch nation are courageously participating in the hunger strike,” the BYC said in a post on social media. “Their message is clear: protect and save BYC leaders and stand united against injustice.”
Organisers said the protest camp has faced three incidents of obstruction since it began, which they allege were either caused or enabled by police.
“For the third time, traffic accidents damaged the camp. If anyone gets injured, police authorities will be held responsible,” the group said, sharing video footage from the roadside protest.
During the sit-in, the BYC’s Kech chapter reiterated its core demands: the immediate release of detained leaders, the recovery of forcibly disappeared persons, an end to what it described as the “Baloch genocide,” and the registration of FIRs in cases of “fake encounters.”
The organisation urged families of individuals who had been forcibly disappeared or killed in “fake encounters” to visit the protest site and record their testimonies. “Your voice matters,” it said.
According to the BYC, evidence of “enforced disappearances” and “extrajudicial killings” is being systematically documented at the camp to be submitted to courts and international human rights organisations.
The group also alleged that continued police interference and the absence of security arrangements were part of a broader attempt by state institutions to suppress peaceful protest. However, it said it would not “bow to pressure” and vowed that the demonstration would continue under all circumstances.
The BYC appealed to international human rights organisations to take urgent notice of what it described as “state atrocities” in Balochistan, including “enforced disappearances,” “extrajudicial killings,” and “judicial injustices,” and to press Pakistan to uphold its constitution and international legal obligations.
Meanwhile, in Balochistan’s Mastung district, a separate protest entered its 12th hour on Friday, with demonstrators blocking the Karachi–Quetta highway at Ghulam Parhenz in response to the alleged enforced disappearance of a man named Azizur Rehman, son of Safar Khan.
According to sources, the sit-in includes women, children, and elderly citizens, and has brought traffic to a complete standstill. Authorities have reportedly made two unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with the protestors.
The victim’s family has refused to end the protest until Rehman is safely recovered. They also claimed that the district administration has threatened the use of baton charges if the blockade is not lifted.
“If any harm—physical or material—comes to the protesters, the responsibility will lie with the Deputy Commissioner of Mastung, the Assistant Commissioner, the DSP, and the SHO,” the family warned in a statement.