ISLAMABAD: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a key organizer of the Baloch protest march in Islamabad, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government on Thursday, demanding the fulfillment of their grievances. Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the protest organizer, outlined the demands during a press conference in Islamabad.
The committee called for a UN Working Group-led fact-finding mission to investigate rights violations in Balochistan, the signing of an agreement to eliminate enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, immediate release of all victims of enforced disappearances, restrictions on the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and the elimination of “state-sponsored death squads.”
Dr. Mahrang also insisted on the Ministry of Interior confessing to the alleged deaths of disappeared persons in fake encounters, issuing an acknowledgment letter, and holding a press conference with the names of all victims. Additionally, she urged the withdrawal of fake cases against peaceful protesters.
The committee warned that if the government failed to engage in sincere negotiations within the stipulated seven days and continued mistreating protesters, they would express disappointment with state institutions and present their case to the Baloch people, allowing them to decide the course of action.
Dr. Mahrang criticized the government’s actions during the past week, accusing it of attempting to suppress the Baloch sit-in through force. She highlighted the brutal treatment of protesters by the police and administration in the federal capital, emphasizing that the Baloch people would not accept “state terrorism” any longer.
The BYC accused the police of disrupting their seminar preparations, alleging that the sound system was switched off.
Despite the government’s claim that all arrested protesters had been released, the BYC maintained that some were still in custody. The interior ministry issued a statement confirming the release of 34 more protesters, asserting that the committee, formed on the prime minister’s instructions, engaged in talks with the protesters, ultimately leading to the release of all arrested individuals.
The committee members included federal ministers Fawad Hasan Fawad, Murtaza Solangi, Jamal Shah, and Balochistan Governor Abdul Wali Kakar. The statement did not address the allegations of disruption caused by the local police in organizing the seminar.
