Baloch protesters issue three-day ultimatum in aftermath of police crackdown in Islamabad

Islamabad [Pakistan]: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) issued a three-day ultimatum to Pakistani authorities in the aftermath of a police crackdown on the ‘Baloch Genocide’ march in Islamabad, resulting in the arrest of over 300 demonstrators, The Balochistan Post reported.

The BYC urged the immediate release of all demonstrators detained during recent events, as well as the dismissal of all accusations against them.

Failure to comply would result in ‘harsh steps’, with the state and its administration held accountable, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee said.

According to The Balochistan Post, the BYC voiced significant worry over the detained individuals’ conditions in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The BYC deemed Islamabad police reports on the release of detained demonstrators to be false.
“Contrary to circulating reports, the release of 167 Baloch students and activists is not accurate. Despite initial bail, their release has been systematically delayed,” the BYC statement read, according to The Balochistan Post.

Voicing her concerns regarding the protests, political activist Mahrang Baloch in a post on X, wrote, “Out of 250 students, over 100 students’ status is missing; they have not been presented in any court. If the students are not released and FIRs against peaceful protestors are not withdrawn, then the long march will be compelled to take harsh steps, and the state will be responsible.”

The BYC has proposed a full charter of demands in addition to pressing requests. This includes a call for a UN-led fact-finding mission to Balochistan, the return of all missing Baloch people, particularly those whose families were present at the National Press Club sit-in, admissions by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) about staged killings, and the dismantlement of alleged state-backed ‘death squads’ in the region, according to The Balochistan Post.

Protests have erupted in Balochistan and other Baloch-populated areas in the aftermath of the crackdown in Islamabad.

Thousands of people demonstrated in Quetta, Hub, Kalat, and Dera Gazi Khan, while calls were made in Turbat to boycott the impending elections and parliamentary politics.

The protests in Khuzdar, Panjgur, Gwadar, Awaran, and other cities have demonstrated the magnitude of the reaction. Protests were also organised by Baloch communities in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, and other cities.