Fourteen individuals were injured when supporters of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), en route to Gwadar for a rally scheduled for Sunday, came under gunfire in Mastung on Saturday. The BYC accused security forces of attacking their convoy, while the Kalat deputy commissioner claimed that the BYC march participants had assaulted a Levies checkpoint near Mastung.
BYC leader Bebarg Baloch alleged that personnel from a law enforcement agency fired on their supporters as they were traveling towards the Quetta-Karachi highway. He reported that at least 14 people were wounded, with five in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Bebarg Baloch claimed that security forces initially stopped the convoy at Thana Sona Khan and used baton charges and teargas. Despite this, the convoy reached the Quetta-Karachi highway, where the firing reportedly occurred.
Another BYC leader, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, stated that more than 200 individuals heading to Gwadar were arrested by security forces. However, Shahid Rind, the Balochistan government spokesperson, denied that the security forces had opened fire. He suggested that some groups were attempting to incite unrest and assured that action would be taken against those disrupting the peace. He also mentioned that the government was open to negotiations, referencing a previous policy statement by Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti in the Balochistan Assembly.
In response, the Quetta administration has imposed a ban on all gatherings, processions, and rallies, sealing roads leading to the Red Zone with containers. Section 144 has been enacted in Quetta, restricting public assemblies and blocking major roads leading into the city.
Eyewitnesses reported that highways to Gwadar were obstructed at multiple points, and the BYC was advised to relocate their public meeting from Gwadar. The deputy commissioner of Kalat stated that BYC participants had attacked a Levies checkpoint and resorted to extreme violence.
According to the note, the security forces had attempted to stop the rally three kilometers outside Mastung for negotiations, but an armed group fired on Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, injuring two FC members and four civilians. The injured were taken to a Trauma Centre in Quetta after receiving initial medical treatment in Mastung.
