The sit-in protest by families of forcibly disappeared Baloch individuals has entered its twelfth day, with demonstrators braving harsh conditions to demand justice for their missing loved ones.

Elderly men and other family members have been camping out in scorching temperatures, even after being neglected from local authorities. The administration’s inaction amounts to cruel punishment of those seeking answers about their disappeared relatives.

The ongoing demonstration highlights the contentious issue of enforced disappearances in Pak-occupied-Balochistan, a systematic campaign targeting the Baloch community. These disappearances are part of broader oppressive practices by Pak Army aimed at suppressing dissent in the region.

Despite facing oppression and atrocities, protesters remain resolute. The situation is a direct violation of human rights, citing both the disappearances themselves and the treatment of protesting families as deliberate attempts to inflict psychological and physical harm on the Baloch community.

Pak Army forces clashed with protesters at Pasni on Thursday morning, resulting in injuries to several demonstrators, including innocent women. The incident occurred as authorities attempted to disperse a sit-in organized by family members of Bahadur Bashir, a Karachi University student who has become the victim of Pak Army’s enforced disappearance policy for four days.

Security personnel tried to forcibly clear the Makran Coastal Highway, which had been blocked by the protesters. In the process, they confiscated mobile phones and resorted to baton charges against the demonstrators.

The sit-in began four days ago when Bahadur Bashir was reportedly taken by unknown individuals. His brother said, “We initially suspended our protest for two days at the request of the Pasni administration. But when they failed to keep their promise, we resumed blocking the highway.”

The incident has reignited concerns about forced disappearances in Pak-occupied-Balochistan, a longstanding issue in the region.

Initially, the Pasni administration had requested a two-day grace period, during which the protesters temporarily suspended their sit-in. However, following the administration’s failure to keep its promise, the demonstrators resumed blocking the Makran Coastal Highway at Pasni Zero Point since yesterday.

A convoy of Pak security forces was attacked in Turbat, the main city of Kech district, on June 27. The assault occurred in Turbat Satellite Town, where unidentified armed individuals ambushed the convoy.

Casualties have occurred among the security personnel, though exact numbers remain unconfirmed. In the aftermath of the attack, retaliatory fire from the forces injured a local resident, Shoaib, son of Din Muhammad, from Dasht Apsi Gaz.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of yet. However, Turbat is known to be an area where various Baloch revolutionary organizations operate actively.

This incident follows a significant attack just a day earlier near Kalat city, where the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeted a central camp of the Pakistan Army and several security checkpoints in the Askalko area. In that assault, the BLA reportedly captured the camp, seized weapons and ammunition, and subsequently set the facility ablaze.

The recent surge in attacks highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the occupying force of Pak Army in Pak-occupied-Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and resource-rich province, where pro-independence groups have long been active has been under forceful control where the community is facing numerous atrocities on a daily basis.

The Pak Army has intensified its policies targeting the Baloch population, with enforced disappearances emerging as a significant component of this repression. The Army has been implicated in forcibly disappearing Baloch individuals, a practice that has recently resulted in the discovery of two mutilated bodies in Panjgur and Soorab, in Pak-occupied-Balochistan.

The Baloch community continues to protest against these human rights violations, marking the ninth day of a sit-in by the families of Baloch missing persons in Turbat. These extrajudicial killings have instilled fear among the families of the victims, amplifying concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Pak-occupied-Balochistan.

The sit-in protest in Turbat has seen families enduring scorching temperatures to demand justice for their missing loved ones. Enforced disappearances remain a grim manifestation of the systematic attempt by the Army to destroy Baloch society through oppressive practices. This situation has been described as a direct attack on human rights and a deliberate effort to inflict psychological and physical harm on the Baloch community.

Human rights organizations are being urged to raise their voices against these violations and hold Pakistan accountable on international platforms. The ongoing protests highlight the desperation and despair of families left abandoned and hopeless in their quest for justice.