Stop Baloch Genocide Long March reaches Kalat

QUETTA: The Baloch Long March against Pakistan state atrocities that the organiser titled ‘Stop Baloch Genocide’ has reached Kalat city despite violent attacks by police near Soorab.

According to details, the Pakistani forces attacked the long march convoy from Turbat at Sikandar check post at Soorab Baytgo Cross injuring two participants including a woman. One of them was seriously wounded and reportedly fell unconscious.  

The March’s organisers in a statement to the media said that efforts were made to stop the Long March convoy this morning by placing containers on the road between Zawah Check Post and Sorab Bypass, however, the participants of the Long March removed the containers and reached Soorab.

On reaching Soorab, a demonstration was held at the main square in which hundreds of people including the relatives of the missing persons participated and a desk was set up for the registration of the details of the missing persons.

The organisers of the March reiterated that the Long March convoy could not be stopped by state coercion. They will halt at Kalat to spend the night and their next destinations will be Mangochar, Mastung and finally Shall (Quetta) – the capital of Pakistan-Occupied Balochistan.

The spokesman of the Baloch Solidarity Committee said that today on the one hand, the world is celebrating International Human Rights Day while on the other hand, the state [Pakistan] is rampaging humanity in Balochistan.

The BYC spokesperson charged that families of missing persons were violently attacked as soon as they left Khuzdar to Soorab.

The Pakistani media reported on Saturday that an FIR has been registered against four CTD officials in the murder case of Balach Maula Bakhsh in Turbat on the night between 22 and 23 November. Earlier a court had ordered the dismissal of SHO Turbat for not implementing the court order to register the FIR.

However, Balochistan’s caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai told Dawn news: “Facilitation of a terrorist is equal to terrorism. Abettors of terrorism will be dealt with sternly no matter what platform they gather.”

The Turbat sit-in and Long March were triggered by the killing of Balach Maula Bakhsh along with three other Baloch youths in a fake encounter by the Police’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). The CTD has been accused of killing previously missing persons in similar fake encounters in other parts of Balochistan.

The families of Baloch missing persons, members of civil society and families of victims of CTD’s fake encounters have initiated the new movement which attracted the support of thousands of Baloch from all walks of life.

They are marching towards Quetta where they plan a sit-in at the red zone and demand the arrest of CTD officials involved in fake encounters, the release and production of all Baloch abducted persons, the dismantling of state-backed death squads and an end to state brutalities.