Police Crackdown on BYC Activists in Lyari Ahead of Awareness Rally

QUETTA: The Karachi police, along with Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, have launched a heavy-handed crackdown on members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and peaceful Baloch civilians in the city’s Lyari area.

The incident unfolded today as the committee was preparing for an awareness rally ahead of the Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day, scheduled to take place in Dalbandin on 25th January.

The BYC had organised the rally to raise awareness about the upcoming event in Dalbandin, with the gathering set to begin at 2 PM. However, before the rally could commence, the police surrounded the area, stormed the protest, and used force to disperse the crowd.

Multiple activists, including the BYC’s deputy organiser, Lala Wahab Baloch, were detained during the crackdown.

Eyewitnesses have reported that police forces not only detained several protesters but also physically assaulted many of them during the operation. According to sources, the police cordoned off several locations in Lyari, effectively trapping the protesters within the area.

Among those arrested were Lala Wahab Baloch, Sammi Din Baloch, Fozia Baloch, and Amina Baloch. Sammi Din Baloch was reportedly transferred to the Kharadar police station, while Lala Wahab Baloch was taken to the Chakiwada police station.

Sammi Din has been placed in solitary confinement, with reports indicating he has been subjected to harassment and threats. Just a day earlier, Sammi Din had survived an assassination attempt when armed men, backed by the Pakistan Army, attempted to infiltrate a rally in Hub, Balochistan.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has called on the public to show their solidarity with the detained activists by visiting the police stations in Kharadar and other locations. The committee has condemned the use of force against peaceful protesters and vowed to continue their campaign for Baloch rights.

The “Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day” gathering is scheduled to take place in Dalbandin on 25th January, coinciding with the anniversary of the discovery of mass graves containing the remains of more than 100 individuals in the Tootak area of Khuzdar, Balochistan, in 2014.

The BYC leadership has been campaigning ahead of the Dalbandin gathering, urging the people of all three parts of “Occupied Balochistan” to join the movement against the ongoing Baloch genocide.