Turbat protesters march to Quetta

Furious protesters carrying the body of ten-year-old boy Rameez who was killed during a raid at his house in Buleda town of Balochistan’s Turbat district over the weekend headed towards Quetta on Monday.

Rameez was killed when police personnel opened fire at his house during a raid to apprehend a murder suspect. It is pertinent to mention that the ultimatum given by protesters led by All Parties Kech, All Parties Gwadar and Turbat Civil Society to the incumbent Balochistan Awami Party led provincial government had ended at 7am earlier on Monday.

The family of the deceased boy left for Quetta along with the protesters after hundreds of people bid farewell to the heirs of the deceased in Hoshab. The Turbat sit-in also ended on the third day as heirs left for Quetta in a convoy.

According to sources within the family, another sit-in will be staged in front of the Balochistan Governor House and Chief Minister's Secretariat. The protesters vowed to not bury the body of the deceased boy till their demands are met.

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Earlier, Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmad Buledi, who hails from the town of Buleda where the alleged killing took place, had demanded the government to formulate a joint investigation team to ascertain the facts and conduct a thorough investigation into the innocent boy’s murder.

In a message on Twitter, Buledi said he was deeply saddened by the martyrdom of an innocent child during a raid to arrest a murder suspect namely Yasir Zafar, a police student in Buleda. Buledi had added that no one can stop protesters from going anywhere in the country as there is no restriction mentioned in the Constitution of Pakistan regarding the movement in any part.

The demands made by the protesters and the victim’s family also include the formation of a JIT and arrest of the police personnel involved in the incident.

The Quetta sit-in is set to be continued for an indefinite period. Thousands of people were present when protesters departed from Turbat while representatives of All Parties Kech and Turbat Civil Society accompanied the convoy to Hoshop to bid them farewell.

The convoy is accompanied by BSO Chairman Zarif Rind, Miran Hayat and other family members as well as political and social activists including Turbat Civil Society Convener Comrade Gulzar Dost.

The caravan was given a warm welcome when they entered the Panjgur district. A meeting was also organised by political parties and civil society where the speakers addressed a sit-in with the deceased boy’s family.

Later, the convoy left Panjgur for Quetta in the evening. The latest talks between the victim’s family and district administration representatives also failed. This is the third time that the demands of the administration were rejected by government representatives.

Makran Commissioner Shah Irfan Gharshin and DC Kech Hussain Jan Baloch had also tried to hold talks with the representatives of the victim’s family and all parties at the China Pakistan Economic Corridor Highway on their way to Quetta.

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They stopped the convoy near Josak and requested for one last negotiation, after which family members and representatives of all parties Kech agreed to negotiate.

Commissioner Gharshin said the appeal to formulate a JIT has been notified at the protester’s request while the arrested person namely Khalil Rind will be released this evening and action will be taken against the officials involved in the incident soon.

However, the family including all the protesters rejected the assurances, saying they will not agree to anything until Khalil was released. “No commission will be set up, no funeral will be held for little Rameez and no protest will be called off.”