A long march, led by Baloch women protesting enforced disappearances and alleged extra-judicial killings, was met with roadblocks and restrictions as it reached the outskirts of Islamabad. The capital police also arrested all 200 protesters in a late-night crackdown.
The capital police blocked entry points and major arteries, including Jinnah Avenue and Srinagar Highway, preventing the hundreds of protesters from reaching the National Press Club.
The marchers, which include the folk singer family of the deceased youth, are demanding a judicial inquiry into the killing. They passed through south Punjab to reach Islamabad.
On reaching Dera Ismail Khan, a huge rally was taken out on the call of the long march organisers, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, where participants raised slogans demanding the recovery of the missing Baloch. Later, it proceeded towards Islamabad.
Well-equipped police contingents were deployed on key roads, including Jinnah Avenue, Nazimuddin Road, and China Chowk Underpass, effectively shutting them down to both protesters and the general public. Islamabad Chowk and Choongi 26 were also blocked for traffic.
Negotiations between march leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch and authorities broke down, with the police refusing to grant their request for access to the National Press Club. Undeterred, the protesters staged a sit-in near Islamabad Chowk, defying the restrictions.
While officials offered F-9 Park as an alternative protest location, the marchers rejected it, asserting their right to choose the site of their demonstration.
Videos shared online showed the unwavering spirit of the demonstrators as they huddled through the chilly Islamabad night, holding aloft mobile phone flashlights and chanting slogans in support of their cause. Despite the blockades and official pressure, the Baloch women's long march perseveres, bringing their demands for justice and accountability to the doorstep of the nation's capital.
This Long March is not a demonstration but a mass movement against #BalochGenocide.
— Mahrang Baloch (@MahrangBaloch_) December 19, 2023
From Turbat to DG Khan, thousands of Baloch are part of it, and this movement will fight against state barbarism across Balochistan. #MarchAgainstBalochGenocide pic.twitter.com/spN9I4ICvt
Posts on X showed the marchers posting videos of the police opening water canons on the protesters who claimed they were marching peacefully. The march leader, Dr Mahrang Baloch, posted that all the protesters had been arrested and were being shifted to different police stations. She also claimed that they were not being informed of where their male associates were being kept.
#MarchAgainstBalochGenocide is under attack by the Islamabad police. Many of our youth have been arrested, & many have been injured by tear gas shelling and violence. Right now, we are being treated worse than animals. Will the world raise its voice for us against this barbarism? pic.twitter.com/zxDeGxT8zD
— Mahrang Baloch (@MahrangBaloch_) December 20, 2023
Islamabad police, without identifying anyone, posted on their X account that protesters who pelted stones on the personnel at Choongi No 26 and Ayub Chowk had been arrested under the law for blocking roads. It was also claimed that the police used water canons and tear gas on the protesters.
26 نمبر چونگی پر مظاہرین کی جانب سے پولیس پر پتھراؤ کیا گیا ہے۔
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) December 20, 2023
ایوب چوک پر بھی مظاہرین کی طرف سے پولیس پر پتھراؤ ۔
پولیس نے جوابی کارروائی کرتے ہوئے متعدد مظاہرین کو گرفتار کر لیا ہے۔
راستہ روکنے اور سڑکیں بند کرنے والوں کے خلاف ضابطہ کے مطابق قانونی کارروائی عمل میں لائی…
The police also claimed that there were many masked, armed men among the protesters, adding that they were using non-violent means to stop the protesters from entering the high-security zone. They also claimed force was being avoided.
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The Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department claimed tailor Balaach Mola Bakhsh had been arrested November 20 along with explosives in his possession. He appeared in court the next day, but died on Nov 23 in an alleged encounter between security officials and some armed men.
However, Bakhsh’s family rejects the claim and accuses the CTD of killing him in a fake encounter.
HRCP condemns 'unwarranted force'
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has strongly condemned the "violent" police crackdown on Baloch protestors in Islamabad, with women, children and the elderly "subjected to unwarranted force" in the form of water cannons and use of batons.
"Numerous women protestors have reportedly been arrested and separated from their male relatives and allies. This treatment of Baloch citizens exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly is inexcusable. It also reflects how little the state thinks of the protesters' demand that their right to life and liberty be upheld," the commission added.
HRCP strongly condemns the violent police crackdown on Baloch protestors in Islamabad, with women, children and the elderly subjected to unwarranted force in the form of water cannons and use of batons. Numerous women protestors have reportedly been arrested and separated from…
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) December 21, 2023
The HRCP demanded that all those detained must be released unconditionally and the government organise a delegation to meet the protesters and give their "legitimate demands a fair hearing".
