BYC demands dismantling CTD and state-backed death squads

QUETTA: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee, supporting the Long March Against Baloch Genocide initially started against the murder of Balach Maula Bakhsh and three other youths by CTD, had demanded on Wednesday that the Counter Terrorism Department of Police and the state-backed death squads should be dismantled.

In a press statement from Shall Sit-in protest, the BYC said that the Long March participants have faced several difficulties including state forces’ violence and threats from the death squad members over the past 21 days. But, they have crossed all these deterrence and hurdles to reach Shall (Quetta).

The statement maintained that since Balach’s murder the state forces have killed another 10 youths in similar fake encounters and that such brutalities and extrajudicial killings are not new, it is a continuation of the state policy of kill and dump under which Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir, Sher Mohammad, Kambar Chakar, Sangat Sana, Rasool Bakhsh Mengal and several other prominent leaders were killed in custody by state forces.

‘Before the FC and army killed people in custody and threw away their dead bodies but recently this task has been given to the CTD which has so far killed hundreds of people in fake encounters.  Such inhuman and unlawful acts are committed to create an atmosphere of fear and panic in Balochistan so that people will remain silent in the face of state oppression and brutalities.  

‘As we continued our March to demand the recovery of Baloch Missing Persons, the state forces continuously abduct more people from Balochistan almost every other day.’

The BYC said that during the current movement, thousands of people from different regions in Balochistan have come out and made it clear to the state that they will no longer tolerate oppression and will resist state atrocities and repression.

Reiterating its demands the BYC said that the CTD should be deactivated or brought to justice, the policy of Baloch Genocide should end, the squads that are currently active across Balochistan must be dismantled and all those involved in the martyrdom of Balach, Shoaib, Wadood, Saif and Shakoor should be punished.

The BYC demands also include the discovery of all missing persons who are currently in state custody and that the state should officially clarify the whereabouts of abducted persons and all the missing persons. The CTD who killed several innocent people in fake encounters, must confess its crimes and assure the public that missing persons will not be killed in fake encounters.

The government spokespersons are continuously creating more hatred in the hearts of the common Baloch by declaring Balach Maula Bakhsh a terrorist. On the other hand, they also claimed to have constituted a committee to investigate Balach’s murder case which illustrates the hypocritical attitude of the state representatives in Balochistan.

The BYC announced that taking into account the irresponsible and offensive statements of the caretaker provincial government, and the state violence against the peaceful Long March ‘we have decided to march toward Islamabad from Shall (Quetta). We will present our demands to the federal and state institutions directly. There will be a seminar at 2 o’clock on Thursday from the Shall sit-in and there will be a shutter-down strike across Quetta tomorrow (Thursday). We appeal to Balochistan’s business community to support our strike by shutting their businesses.’