A large-scale protest rally was held in Usta Muhammad, Pak-occupied-Balochistan, under the auspices of the Baloch Unity Committee of Nasirabad, to denounce the killing of Baloch individuals in custody by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Turbat and to express solidarity with the Turbat sit-in.
Hundreds of people, including women and children, attended the protest, carrying banners and placards demanding the release of missing persons and the end of fake encounters. They also chanted slogans against the government and the CTD. The protesters assembled at UBL Chowk, where they raised slogans demanding the immediate recovery of missing persons and an end to the practice of fake encounters. They also expressed their support for the ongoing Turbat sit-in, which has been demanding accountability for the killing of four Baloch youth in a fake encounter by the CTD.
On November 23, Balach Baloch and three other Baloch youth were killed in an encounter with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Turbat. The CTD claimed that they were killed in a shootout and falsely accused them of being “militant”. However, the families of the deceased have disputed this account, and clarified that the men were already in CTD custody and were extrajudicially killed.
Since then, the family of all the killed Baloch youth, along with hundreds of other Baloch, have been sitting in a protest in Turbat.
Speakers at the rally condemned the CTD for its involvement in extrajudicial killings and called for the abolition of the department. They also demanded that a commission be established to investigate the Turbat incident and other similar cases.
The protest is a reflection of the growing resentment and frustration among the Baloch people over the systematic human rights abuses they face at the hands of Pak Army. The CTD, in particular, has been accused of numerous extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
The Baloch Unity Committee of Nasirabad has vowed to continue its struggle for justice and against the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan. The committee has also called upon the international community to take notice of the plight of the Baloch people and to intervene to protect their fundamental rights.