Shutter down strike in Quetta, Long March next stop Kohlu

QUETTA: A shutter down strike was observed in Quetta on Thursday at the request of the organiser of ‘March Against Baloch Genocide’.

The business community has heeded the call and a peaceful shutter was seen throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the March against the Baloch Genocide has departed from Quetta – the capital of Balochistan for Islamabad the capital of Pakistan. They are going via Kohlu, Barkhan and DG Khan to their final destination where they will present their ‘demands’ to the power corridors in Islamabad.

 However, the next halt for the Long March convoy they said is Kohlu Balochistan where they will set up a ‘registration camp’ to collect the names of enforced-disappeared persons and other victims of state terrorism.

Earlier, the organiser had a rally and seminar at Saryab Road Quetta in the presence of thousands of people who had gathered to show their support and solidarity with the Marchers.

The rally participants condemned the registration of FIR against some of the leading members of the ‘March Against Baloch Genocide’ and said that instead of resolving the issue of enforced disappearances and addressing the demands of the Long March, the government was trying to intimidate and harass the participants and their relatives.

The Baloch Yakjehti (Solidarity) Committee, in a pamphlet, has urged the Baloch of Koh-e-Suleman region to show their support and solidarity with the Long March and be part of the movement against state atrocities and brutalities in Balochistan.

The Pamphlet termed the ongoing Long March ‘a referendum against the state oppression, injustices and a clear message that Baloch nation will not tolerate state violence and inhuman policies.’

They said all regions of Balochistan, all villages and cities of Balochistan are currently under state atrocities and offensives in one way or another that’s why the Baloch nation must use their collective energy against such brutalities.

The current movement ‘Long March Against Baloch Genocide’ started in district Kech Balochistan after the extrajudicial murder of Balach Maula Bakhsh Baloch in a fake encounter by the Pakistani police’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and it is supported by members of civil society, families of enforced-disappeared Baloch and victims of state terrorism. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee is also playing a leading role in supporting and facilitating the ‘movement’.