Quetta, March 29, 2025
Pakistan’s Balochistan National Party (BNP) slammed the Federal government on Saturday for placing containers and blocking major entry points as they began the long peaceful march from Wadh to Quetta against the illegal detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists.
Several BYC leaders, including Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, were arrested in a brutal police crackdown. The BNP leader Akhtar Mengal stated that roadblocks and coercion cannot deter the Baloch people from raising their voices against oppression, local media reported.
Meanwhile, the provincial administration has imposed Section 144, banning all political and social gatherings across Balochistan, citing security concerns.
The Pakistan authorities have also suspended internet services across Balochistan, with mobile signals being disrupted in Quetta and many other districts, limiting communication, leading Pakistani newspaper, The Express Tribune, reported.
Despite the restrictions imposed, the protestors remain resolute in their mission. As the long march from Wadh to Quetta began, party leader Mengal shared a message on social media bashing the Pakistani authorities in their disgraceful attempt to obstruct the peaceful march by shelling and firing on the participants.
Several participants in the march were also arrested.
He stated that nails have been thrown across the road, endangering the lives of peaceful protestors, adding that no force, no coercion, can shake them.
“We are currently at Lakpass, where all the entrances have been blocked with containers. Participants in the long march from Quetta have been arrested and are being heavily shelled. My senior leadership is also being directly shelled and fired upon. We are strong, we are determined in our purpose, and above all, we are peaceful. No force, no coercion, can shake our morale, nor divert us from our path,” Mengal posted on X on Saturday.
“In a shocking and disgraceful attempt to obstruct our peaceful long march, nails have been thrown across the road near Pir Omar, Khuzdar. This act not only endangers the lives of peaceful protestors but also reflects the sheer desperation and cowardice of those trying to silence our movement,” he said in another post.
“Sometimes, the decisions being made are so absurd, one can only laugh. Let it be known — no matter the hurdles, our resolve remains unshaken. We will march forward with dignity and determination,” he added.
Recently, the BYC took to the streets against “state brutality and enforced disappearances” and demanded the release of the arrested Baloch leaders.
But in a police crackdown, several individuals, including BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch, were taken into custody for allegedly violating section 144.
Later, the Sindh government detained Sammi Deen Baloch and four others for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) shortly after a judicial magistrate in Karachi court ordered her release, along with four other activists, in a case related to the violation of Section 144.
The Quetta police have so far registered seven cases, including that of terrorism, against more than 500 BYC leaders and activists, including Mahrang Baloch, at four different police stations.
Pakistan has charged Mahrang Baloch and several other activists with terrorism after she led the sit-in protest against the illegal arrest and illegal police remand of the relatives of the victims of enforced disappearances.(Agency)
