March Against Baloch Genocide reaches Quetta

QUETTA: The Long March against Baloch genocide reached Quetta city on Saturday evening and organisers on Sunday vowed to continue their peaceful sit-in and agitation against state brutalities.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee in a statement to the media said that thousands of people have joined the ‘historic rally’ in Quetta to express their support with families of abducted Baloch and to show their dislike for state atrocities.

 The statement of BYC further read that despite state conspiracies, violence, pressure and unconstitutional effort the Long March from district Kech Balochistan has succeeded in reaching the capital city Quetta on its 20th day.

 It is important to remind our readers that the current movement ‘Stop Baloch Genocide’ was triggered by the killing of Balach Maula Bakhsh and three other Baloch youths in a fake encounter by the Pakistani police so-called Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). The four youths were previously abducted by Pakistani forces and were in their custody.

However, CTD has issued conflicting statements about the circumstances of the murder of the youth. Balach was present before the court where a judge handed him over to police on physical remand but before presenting him back to court Balach along with Wadood Baloch, Saif Baloch and Shakoor Baloch were killed in a ‘stage encounter’.

The families of the rest of the disappeared persons now fear that their loved one could face a similar fate if the CTD is not contained.

Earlier in Kalat, the father of Balach Baloch said that his son was arrested by FC and CTD, presented to the court then later killed in a fake encounter. ‘Today it is my son Balach but the next could be any of you,’ he reminded a crowd of thousands of people in Kalat City.

The BYC claimed that the ongoing Long March and the participation of thousands of people of all ages and from all walks of life is a verdict against the state that the Baloch nation will not stay silent on systematic violence perpetrated against Baloch by the state organs.

“Despite state conspiracies, pressures, threats and violent policies to thwart the peaceful long march, this movement continues to expose state terrorism in Balochistan,” the BYC statement reiterated.

The organisers of the March have urged the families of all missing persons, victims of state-backed death squads and the members of the public to actively participate in this ongoing movement as ‘it is not just a movement for justice for Balach but an organized voice against state repression. If this voice is silenced, no one will be safe in Balochistan and every other day someone’s body will be thrown away.’

Addressing the Baloch nation the organisers said, this was the time to decide as a nation whether they would remain silent and receive the dead bodies of their beloved ones or they would unite and stand against this oppression.

The BYC said that they will announce their next plan of action to intensify the movement against Baloch genocide in a press conference from the sit-in protest at Saryab Mill Quetta.