Taunsa (Punjab) [Pakistan], December 20 (ANI): In an ‘extraordinary’ show of unity, thousands convened in Taunsa on Tuesday to rally behind the long march protesting the alleged ‘Baloch genocide‘, The Balochistan Post reported. The Long March, initiated on December 6 from Turbat, vehemently opposes what it claims the ‘Baloch Genocide’, condemning enforced disappearances and custodial killings of missing individuals in Balochistan.
Overcoming previous administrative hurdles in DG Khan, the marchers were warmly received by locals in Taunsa. Families of disappeared individuals and other participants were welcomed with flowers, symbolising the steadfast support and solidarity of the local Baloch community, the report added.
Addressing the demonstration in Taunsa Sharif, Mahrang Baloch, a human rights activist, underscored the shared struggles and unity among the Baloch people.
“Our pain is one; we are the oppressed of the same land,” she declared, emphasising that “Balochistan is incomplete without Koh-e-Sulaiman.”
Her words resonated with the crowd, with slogans like “Rajanpur to DG Khan is Balochistan” and “Stop Baloch Genocide” reverberating through the gathered masses.
“After the fake encounter killing of Shaheed Balach Baloch by the CTD, the ongoing long march against Baloch genocide isn’t just a march; it’s the hope of the Baloch nation tired of facing state oppression and exploitation,” she added.
“This movement, ongoing for the past 26 days, started as a sit-in at Shaheed Fida Chowk in Turbat for two weeks. Faced with a lack of justice in Turbat, the movement made its way to Quetta in the form of a long march through various areas of Balochistan,” Mahrang added.
After a four-day sit-in on Saryab Road in Quetta, involving families of missing persons and Baloch children killed without trial, the march is now headed towards Islamabad after crossing Mount Sulaiman.
“We’re asking the people of Islamabad to come and be part of this movement, energising it for an end to the Baloch genocide,” she urged.
The march is set to advance towards Dera Ismail Khan early on Wednesday morning, aiming for an arrival time of 9 am. The ultimate destination is Islamabad, where the march will merge with an ongoing sit-in at the Press Club.
This sit-in, currently in its 23rd day and featuring families of missing Baloch individuals, is part of a broader movement seeking to spotlight the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, The Balochistan Post reported. (ANI)
Pak authorities attempt to stop Baloch protesters from marching towards Islamabad
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 20 (ANI): The authorities in Pakistan‘s Dera Ghazi Khan have attempted to stop hundreds of Baloch protesters from marching towards their destination, Islamabad, The Friday Times reported. The Friday Times is a Pakistani English-language newspaper based in Lahore.
As many as 20 Baloch activists have been arrested, while transporters in the district have allegedly been directed to refuse service to participants of the march who decided to continue on foot.
Hundreds of residents from Balochistan started a long march from Turbat last month as they protested against the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of their loved ones without any judicial recourse, as per The Friday Times.
The march made its way from Turbat to the provincial capital of Quetta via Khuzdar. The marchers then announced plans to continue their protest in the federal capital of Islamabad.
Late last week, the marchers arrived in Dera Ghazi Khan. However, the protesters claimed that the district administration and other authorities were trying to prevent the peaceful marchers from proceeding towards Taunsa.
One of the protesters, Mahrang Baloch, said that the state has been threatening them, denying them access to transportation, while several of their fellow protesters have been arrested. On Tuesday, the marchers said they had decided to continue their march towards Islamabad and had set off from Dera Ghazi Khan on foot. They plan to stage a peaceful protest demonstration in Taunsa before continuing towards Islamabad, as per The Friday Times.
Meanwhile, FIRs were filed against activists participating in the march in several parts of Balochistan, including Kohlu, Naal, and Khuzdar. The march commenced on November 23 with a sit-in in Turbat, in southwestern Balochistan, after the custodial death of 24-year-old Balach Mola Bakhsh.
Bakhsh was arrested by the Balochistan Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) from his home on October 29. But weeks later, while officially still on physical remand, his body was said to have been discovered in a militant camp that the CTD had raided, as per The Friday Times. (ANI)
