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Islamabad police on Sunday said bail of all detained Baloch protesters — who were taken into custody after brutal action in the federal capital earlier this week — had been approved and they were being released.
The development comes a day after the Baloch Yakjehti Committee — organiser of the Baloch long march in Islamabad — gave the authorities a three-day ultimatum to quash cases registered against students and activists and release all protesters.
The long march led by Baloch women — which started in Turbat on December 6 after the alleged “extrajudicial killing” of a Baloch youth by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials — had reached the federal capital on Wednesday.
The Islamabad police had subsequently used brutal force to disperse and detain the demonstrators with over 200 taken into custody from different areas of the federal capital. The action was strongly condemned by human rights organisations, politicians, Islamabad High Court (IHC), President Dr Arif Alvi and caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and analysts.
On Thursday evening, the government said 90 per cent of the Baloch men and women taken into custody were released. However, reports suggested the contrary.
A day earlier, a judicial magistrate granted bail to 162 participants. A protester, however, had told Dawn that only half of the protesters had been granted bail. The BYC claimed that though the bail was granted, their release was cancelled.
In a statement issued today, the Islamabad police said the protesters had demanded the release of their detained companions during a meeting with a cabinet committee formed by the prime minister.
“Keeping in view the legal requirements, the bail of the arrested protesters has been approved. The detained protesters are being released,” it said.
Relatives of the detained protesters should contact the police information so that legal assistance can be provided to them, the police added.
Earlier in the day, the caretaker had said negotiations with the protesters were underway.
“A cabinet committee formed by the prime minister is holding talks with the protesters,” Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani had said, emphasising that staging peaceful protests was every Pakistani’s right.
“We have ensured, on the orders of the prime minister, that no protesters are harmed, tortured or harassed in any way, “ he had noted.
At the same time, the interior secretary also stated that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. “The implementation of court order will be ensured,” he had added, referring to the IHC’s directives, in which it had advised the capital police chief to concentrate on controlling street crimes rather than flexing their muscles against protesters.
Meanwhile, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the BYC said its movement had entered the 31st day and continued in the form of a sit-in outside the NPC.
“Nearly 250 of our students and activists are still in the custody of Islamabad Police but our courage and hopes are high and this struggle shall continue,” it added.
Mahrang Baloch, one of the long march organisers, said that the status of more than 100 Baloch students was “missing” and they had not been produced before any court.
“If the students are not released and FIRs against peaceful protestors are not withdrawn then the long march will be compelled to take harsh steps and the state will be responsible for this,” she wrote on X.
Charter of demands
A statement issued by the BYC on X social media yesterday said over 100 Baloch students were “missing” after the crackdown on the march by the police on Wednesday night.
“Nearly 350 of our students and families were arrested…the females and 33 students were granted bail the next day, while more than 250 of our students are still in jail…more than 100 still have not been presented before court,” it claimed.
The protesters warned the authorities of “harsh steps” if their demands were not met and said the state and the capital administration would be responsible in that case.
They said their movement would continue till the release of missing students and acceptance of the demands of their long march. They also issued a charter of demands, seeking a fact-finding mission headed by a UN Working Group for a detailed investigation into rights violations in Balochistan.
“CTD Balochistan shall accept that it has killed Balach Mola Baksh in a fake encounter,” the second demand read. It called for the recovery of all missing Baloch persons, especially of those whose families were present in the sit-in outside the National Press Club.
The charter also asked the state to abolish the CTD and “death squads” in the province. It demanded a press conference from the interior ministry to “confess” the alleged killing of forcibly disappeared in “fake encounters”.
More to follow
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