The Turbat Civil Society gathered in front of the Turbat Press Club on Saturday to protest against Siraj Saleh’s murderers. The protestors carried placards with messages written on them condemning the murder of the youth and demanding the arrest of his killers.
Siraj Saleh was murdered on December 26 by unknown assailants who reportedly breached into his house in the middle of the night. The attackers riddle him with bullets and fled in the dead of the night. The police and district authorities have failed to identify and arrest the culprits.
Addressing the protestors, Turbat Civil Society Convener, Gulzar Dost, said that the Baloch youth have become the prime target of enforced disappearances and the kill-and-dump policy in Balochistan. He said that death squads are given the responsibility to hunt down and kill Baloch activists, political workers and students. He said that the death squads are brought up under the patronage of the Pakistan state to do its bidding. To reciprocate for their services, the state gives these militias a free hand to smuggle drugs, carry out burglaries and ransom kidnappings.
The protestors said that Siraj Saleh was the latest victim of this barbaric policy. The authorities must corner and arrest his murderers or the Civil Society will carry out protests on a much larger scale.
Saleh’s mother, Saeeda Baloch, also called the arrest and prosecution of her son’s murderers. She identified the culprits as Haneef Hassan and Jahanzaib Wahid and appealed to the authorities to arrest them.
Haneef Hassan reportedly enjoys the backing of the Pakistani state. Acknowledging his crime, Hassan said that he had killed Siraj Saleh because of his comments against Pakistan and Islam. He said anyone else who does this will meet the same end. with