Don’t treat Baloch protesters as ‘enemies’

IHC reprimands police for ‘harsh treatment’ of marchers

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA:

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday told the federal capital's police to not treat the Baloch protesters as “enemies”.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb’s remarks came as he heard a petition filed last week challenging the arrest of the marchers, who arrived in Islamabad on foot from Kech in Balochistan, and denying them the right to stage a protest in the federal capital against the extrajudicial killings as well as enforced disappearances of their loved ones.

The IHC hearing was attended by the senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations, the advocate general (AG) Islamabad and the lawyer representing the organisers of the protest, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).

Expressing his indignation, Justice Aurangzeb asked the SSP operations if the order to treat the protesters ‘harshly’ was given by him.

“You make some people sit in your lap while you treat others like this,” the judge remarked as he referred to the mass arrest of the protesters on reaching Islamabad. "They have come [here]. Let them sit,” he added.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel stated that 34 Baloch protesters were still in custody and had to be presented in an identification parade.

He added that an individual named Zaheer Baloch, named in the FIR registered at the Kohsar police station, was missing.

The SSP informed the court that Zaheer was in jail and could not be released because of the lack of payment of bail money.

The AG Islamabad maintained that it was “easy to blame the government, but not one Baloch person from among the protesters was missing".

However, the BYC later in the day shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Zaheer had returned safely and also posted a video of him with Mahrang Baloch, who was leading the march.

During the IHC proceedings, the judge asked the SSP that a larger number of protesters had arrived in Islamabad before and they were pampered by the law enforcement agencies.

“What did they [Baloch protesters] do [to deserve a different treatment]?” he inquired.

The petitioner's lawyer pleaded that the court should demand a report from the Islamabad police explaining the arrest of the more than 50 women protesters.

Justice Aurangzeb remarked that there was a lot that he would like to say, but could not.

He then ordered the police to conduct an identification parade of the 34 arrested Baloch protesters by Wednesday. He also instructed the Islamabad police to submit a report explaining the arrest of the women protesters.

The IHC adjourned the hearing of the case till December 29.

Authorities claim to have released all Baloch protesters who arrived in Islamabad last week to highlight the issue of missing persons but were rounded up in a crackdown.

However, the BYC disputes this, asserting that the Islamabad police have failed to release all detained protesters despite the three-day deadline's expiration.

 “We doubt the government's sincerity as its negotiation team, assigned by the premier for talks, has not reached out to us in the last two days,” stated a protest leader.

The BYC kicked off its long march to Islamabad against the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balach Baloch.

The protesters accuse the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of unjustly branding Balach a terrorist and carrying out his cold-blooded killing.

The CTD vehemently denies these allegations, asserting that the incident resulted from an armed clash between "miscreants" and security forces in the Pasni road area of Turbat.

The BYC is currently encamped outside the National Press Club in Islamabad to protest against the movement against the “extra-judicial abductions” of the Baloch people.

On Wednesday, a delegation of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) visited their camp outside the National Press Club.

SCBA President Shahzad Shaukat assured the protesters that they would persuade the superior judiciary to play its role in the recovery of the missing Baloch people.

The relatives of the missing persons, while speaking with the delegation, appealed to the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa for justice.

The protesters informed the delegation about the sufferings of their families and asked it to convey their message to CJP Isa.

Hassan Raza Pasha, the PBC executive committee chairman, told the protesters that his body as well as the SCBA would provide them with a panel of lawyers for the release of arrested Baloch marchers.

He added that they would strive to have the issue addressed by the SC.

The SCBA president condemned the “atrocities” meted out against the marchers at the hands of the law enforcement agencies when they arrived in Islamabad.

He continued that the SCBA took the responsibility of securing the freedom of all the protesters, who marched to the federal capital from Balochistan.

In a related development, the caretaker Balochistan Chief Minister Ali Mardan Domki said his government had formed an investigation committee to probe into the Balach incident in Turbat.

“The genuine grievances of the participants of the Islamabad sit-in will be addressed,” the caretaker CM told a meeting he chaired in Quetta to review the law and order situation in Balochistan.

He added that the interim federal government had also formed an inquiry body to probe into the Balach incident.

Domki said the interim provincial government was committed to solving the demands of the Islamabad sit-in within the constitutional framework.

"Our doors are always open for meaningful negotiations,” he added.

The caretaker CM called for an end to protests and said his government was committed to address these issues through political means.

(With input from our News Desk in Karachi)