Islamabad police arrested dozens of Baloch men and women during a peaceful demonstration against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
The protesters were demanding justice for their missing and killed family members. The cops used water cannons, tear gas, and batons to break up the crowd. Human rights groups, analysts, and lawmakers all spoke out against the arrests, calling them a “violent state crackdown” on the Baloch people.
بھائی جی یہ بھی ہمارے آپکے بھائی ہیں۔ یہ ملک ان کا بھی اتنا ہے جتنا میرا ہے۔ مہربانی فرمائیں pic.twitter.com/7o0QitsGos
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) December 20, 2023
Most of the protesters were Baloch students, activists, and family members of people who had been killed or disappeared without due process in Balochistan, a troubled province in the southwest of Pakistan.
They held a sit-in outside of the National Press Club in Islamabad, the capital city, to bring attention to the suffering of the Baloch people, who have been oppressed, ignored, and exploited by the government for decades.
The protesters were carrying pictures of their missing and killed loved ones and chanting slogans such as “Stop killing Baloch,” “Release Baloch missing persons,” and “Baloch lives matter.” They were also demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, which has received thousands of cases of missing persons from Balochistan.
According to eyewitnesses and videos shared on social media, the police crackdown began around midnight on Wednesday, when hundreds of security personnel surrounded the protesters and asked them to leave the area.
When the protesters failed to comply, the police resorted to using water cannons, tear gas, and batons to disperse them. The police also grabbed dozens of Baloch men and women and dragged them into police vans. Some of the protesters were seen bleeding and bruised, while others were yelling and crying.
#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/AYhRPW0K9S
— Mahrang Baloch (@MahrangBaloch_) December 20, 2023
The protesters resisted the police action and tried to protect each other from the brutality. Some escaped and regrouped at another site, where they continued their protest. They also appealed to the media, civil society, and political parties to back their cause and condemn the police crackdown.
The police crackdown on the Baloch protesters caused outrage among human rights groups, analysts, and politicians, who criticized the use of excessive force and violation of the protesters’ rights.
In a post on social media site X today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemned the “violent police crackdown” on Baloch protesters in Islamabad. It noted that women, children, and older people were subjected to “unwarranted force” and separated from their male relatives and supporters. It also urged the authorities to release the arrested protesters and ensure their safety and respect.
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
Amnesty International South Asia, a non-governmental group focused on human rights, said it was deeply concerned by the excessive use of force by law enforcement against the Baloch protestors.
It claimed that the police action violated their liberty, security, and protest rights. It also called on the government to respect the Baloch people’s right to express their complaints and demand peaceful accountability.
Pakistan: @amnesty is deeply concerned by the excessive use of force by law enforcement against the Baloch Long March protestors in Islamabad on 21 December. Amnesty has reviewed videos showing water cannons, tear gas and batons being used against the protestors. Dozens have been…
— Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) December 21, 2023
Several analysts and lawmakers also showed their solidarity with the Baloch protesters and denounced the police crackdown. They said that the state should handle the legitimate demands of the Baloch people instead of suppressing them with violence. They also noted that the state should stop the culture of impunity and bring the perpetrators of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings to justice.
اسلام آباد پولیس نے دوپہر کو ہائی کورٹ میں کہا سب خواتین کو رہا کر دیا ہے لیکن ان خواتین کو آج رات زبردستی گاڑیوں میں بٹھا کر کوئٹہ لیجایا جا رہا ہے وفاقی وزرا سے بھی غلط پریس کانفرنس کرائی گئی pic.twitter.com/40yfsJT6ih
— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) December 21, 2023
A peace rally was held at Zakariya University to show solidarity with the Baloch Long March. Pashtun, Baloch Students Councils of Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan against Islamabad police crackdown on Baloch Peaceful Long March (violence, tear gas shelling, use of water cannons and baton charge). Hundreds of students participated in the rally to express solidarity with the Baloch Long March.
پشتون و بلوچ کونسلز کی جانب سے "بلوچ امن مارچ" اور "چمن دھرنا" سے اظہار یکجہتی اور احتجاجی ریلی نکالی گئی جسمیں سینکڑوں طلباء وطالبات نے شرکت کی اور ان اقوام کے قانونی و آئینی مسائل کے حوالے سے جلد حل کرنے پر زور دیا اور اسلام آباد پولیس کے روایے کی مذمت کی۔ #StopBalochGenocide pic.twitter.com/1pW4qIGrzi
— Spokesperson PSC-BZU Multan (@pscbzumultan) December 21, 2023
