Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Balochistan’s Panjgur district as it saw a shutter-down strike that continued for the third day in response to a call by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
Various cities of Balochistan observed shutter-down strikes over the weekend, heeding the BYC’s protest call against the recent arrests of its leadership and a crackdown on its sit-in in Quetta.
BYC chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and 16 other activists were arrested from their protest camp at Quetta’s Sariab Road on Saturday, a day after they claimed that three protesters had died due to police action.
Separately, in a post on X , Mahrang Baloch’s sister Nadia Baloch said only she was allowed to meet the BYC leader while her younger sister Iqra was not.
“After pleading for three hours and threatening jail staff that I would go on a hunger strike outside if I wasn’t allowed to meet my sister Mahrang Baloch, I was finally permitted to see her but only for a couple of minutes,” she said.
“When I met her, Dr Mahrang looked strong, smiled, and conveyed this message: ‘Tell my nation to stay strong, continue their peaceful protests and marches for justice’,” Nadia said.
Separately, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “disturbed and concerned” about Mahrang’s detention. “She represents millions of voiceless people – women and children – who are facing human rights violations in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is her right to protest and speak out for the most vulnerable people – and she must be immediately released. I stand with Mahrang Baloch,” she said in a post on X.