Baloch Yakjehti Committee to stage another protest rally amid increasing youth disappearances

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee scheduled a peaceful protest rally today in Kharan to raise their voice for disappeared youths due to an increase in the number of enforced disappearances by the Pakistan armed forces.

The protest rally will take place at 3 pm on Friday in the Kharan district of Balochistan.

On Thursday, Ubaidullah Tagapi, son of Haji Barkat Tagapi, was abducted during the day by armed forces, leading the family to organise a protest. However, the Pakistani armed forces harassed the family and forcibly stopped the demonstrations.

In a post on X, the BYC stated, “The state has normalised the enforced disappearance of Baloch individuals. Given the increasing momentum of enforced disappearances, BYC has organised a series of protests all over Balochistan. Tomorrow – 25 October, at 3 pm – a peaceful protest rally will be organised in Kharan. We appeal to the people of Kharan to join this protest rally and raise their voices for Ubaidullah and other victims of enforced disappearance.”

Similarly, another protest was staged in the Panjgur district of Balochistan, where one of the protestors, Haseeb Baloch, disappeared by the law enforcement agency. Haseeb Baloch is a 22-year-old youth who graduated from ARID University and is a resident of Panjgur. A peaceful protest was organised in Panjgur but the state authorities used violence and abducted some of the protestors involved in the demonstrations.

The Baloch people are protesting across different districts of Balochistan under the banner, “Breaking Silence: Standing Against Enforced Disappearances.” Till now, the protests have been staged in Karachi, Hub, Turbat, and Khuzdar.

The enforced disappearances have raised human rights concerns in the state, creating fear in the minds of people. The peaceful protestors are being abducted by the Pakistani armed forces, violating freedom of speech and assembly. The BYC has urged the Baloch masses to join the protest and fight against the atrocities carried out by the state.