Balochistan: Protesters in Turbat Block CPEC Highway 

QUETTA: Protesters, including women and children, blocked the CPEC highway at D-Baloch Chowk in Turbat on Sunday to protest the killing of Zareef Baloch and the obstructions by Pakistani forces to stop the family from going Shaheed Fida Chowk Turbat.

The protesters said that Zarif Baloch was forcibly taken from his home in Tump the previous night, and his dead body, bearing signs of torture, was handed found the following morning. 

When the family attempted to transport the body to Turbat for burial and a medical examination to determine the cause of death, they were stopped by security forces at the Asiabad checkpoint.

In a video message, Zareef Baloch’s daughter said her family wanted to take the body to Turbat for medical procedures but was prevented from doing so. 

In response, she, along with other women, staged a sit-in and blocked the road. A large number of people, including women, joined the protest.

Later in the evening, Zareef Baloch was laid to rest. However, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) alleged that state forces coerced the family into conducting the burial quickly, depriving the community of the opportunity for proper mourning or investigation.

The BYC announced that it would outline its future course of action during a press conference today (29 December) alongside Zareef Baloch’s family.

The BYC condemned the killing, describing it as premeditated and part of a systematic “Baloch genocide” by the Pakistan Army. They vowed to continue resisting such violent acts and atrocities by the state.

Protesters said that Pakistani forces that are deliberately targeting Baloch civilians under the guise of counterinsurgency operations.