The BYC leaders had decided to travel from Quetta to Islamabad along with other protesters to stage a sit-in in front of the Supreme Court building after the local administration and security forces did not permit them to enter the Balochistan’s capital on their way to Red Zone area. Heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies had been deployed while roads were blocked with heavy trucks and hurdles to cordon off the area.
After ending their protest in Quetta, they left for Islamabad via Kohlu-Barkhan and Dera Ghazi Khan on Friday evening.
A large number of people expressing their solidarity with the family of Mr Bakhsh joined the marchers in Kohlu where bazaars, markets and business centres remained shut while traffic remained thin.
Addressing the marchers in Kohlu town before leaving for Barkhan, leaders said the process of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings was unconstitutional and violated basic human rights.
They stressed the extrajudicial killing had revived the just struggle of the Baloch people against oppression.
They lamented many youngsters were being victimised by the unjust practices of the counterterrorism department of police. They urged the state to stop unconstitutional practices and give the Baloch people the right to live and have authority over their land and resouHowever, the protesters’ leaders refused to call off the protest, saying they would continue their sit-in until all demands were met. Quetta’s Red Zone has been sealed and no one was allowed on Wednesday to enter the roads linking the sensitive area with other parts of the city.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balach Bakhsh and others in Turbat must be investigated swiftly and transparently, and immediate measures must be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the HRCP noted with concern that both enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have continued with impunity, particularly in Balochistan, with little realisation on the state’s part that these might constitute crimes against humanity.
“HRCP stands in solidarity with the families of victims of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, who have marched from Turbat to Quetta and are now en route to Islamabad,” the commission said.
“We also condemn the treatment meted out to the protesters in Quetta, who were prevented by baton-wielding police from entering the city’s Red Zone. The federal government must give the protestors a fair hearing in Islamabad and take their concerns seriously,” it said.rces.