Dr Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee and a prominent activist, condemned the recent wave of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Zehri and Khuzdar. Baloch communities in these areas are reeling from the actions of the Pakistan Army, which forcibly disappeared 12 young men and executed another extrajudicially in a blatant display of power.
Mahrang Baloch pointed out that in response to these atrocities, the people of Zehri, Khuzdar, and surrounding regions, along with the families of the disappeared, initiated a peaceful sit-in protest at Soraab Cross, which began the night before. Despite the harsh winter temperatures, women, children, and the elderly have come out in force to demand justice for their loved ones.
The protestors, who have now blocked the Quetta-Karachi highway, are unified in their demand: the immediate return of the forcibly disappeared individuals. The sit-in at Soraab Cross and Zero Point, despite the freezing cold, remains a symbol of the Baloch people’s unwavering determination to hold the Pak Army accountable for its crimes.
Negotiations between local authorities and the protestors have failed, further highlighting the Paki establishment’s indifference to the Baloch plight. The protestors have voiced their condemnation of the occupying authority’s inaction and for turning a blind eye to the systemic abuses carried out by its military forces.