Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemns crackdown on Baloch protesters

In a statement, HRCP Commission Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt said the commission was appalled by the state's response to peaceful protesters, with unwarranted force in the form of water cannon and batons being used on women, children and the elderly.

The statement reads, "Numerous women protesters have reportedly been arrested and separated from their male relatives and allies. At least one Baloch woman journalist covering the long march has also been arrested. This treatment of Baloch people exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression is inexcusable," Dawn reported.

The HRCP urged the authorities to release all those detained immediately and unconditionally. It said that an obdurate state that responds to calls for the right to life, liberty and due process to be held by using force at every stage is a state that has shed its constitutional and moral responsibility for protecting and fulfilling the rights of all people, according to Dawn report.

The released by HRCP reads, "We strongly urge the government to organise a delegation immediately to meet the protesters, give their legitimate demands a fair hearing and commit to upholding the rights of the Baloch people. The state's widespread use of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings also warrants a prompt and transparent investigation as well as a commitment to hold the perpetrators accountable, Dawn reported.

Meanwhile, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg offered support to Baloch protesters. In a post shared on X, Thunberg stated, "Climate justice activists all over the world stand in solidarity with @MahrangBaloch_ and other peaceful protesters who have been detained, tortured and disrupted by Islamabad police for protesting against human rights abuses in Balochistan."

Meanwhile, Pakistani author and journalist Hanif Mohammad returned his "Sitara e Imtiaz" award on Saturday in protest against Pakistan's action on the Balochistan march. In a social media post, Hanif accused the state government of abducting and torturing Baloch citizens.

In a post shared on X, he said, "In protest, returning my Sitara e Imtiaz, given to me by a state that continues to abduct and torture Baloch citizens. Journalists of my generation have seen @SammiBaluch and @MahrangBaloch_ grow up in protest camps. Ashamed to witness a new generation being denied basic dignity."

The long march led by Baloch women which started in Turbat on December 6 after the alleged "extra-judicial killing" of a Baloch youth by the Counter-Terrorism Department officials reached Islamabad on Wednesday, Dawn reported. However, the police blocked the protesters at the entry points of the city along with major arteries to prevent the protesters from reaching the National Press Club.

Islamabad police had arrested dozens of Baloch men and women on Wednesday night during a demonstration against enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. Videos of the arrests circulating on social media showed security officials firing water canons and tear gas at the protesters, according to Dawn report.

In the video, the police could be seen dragging Baloch women and men into police vans and beating them with clubs. More than 200 demonstrators from various parts of Islamabad were arrested. Police batons, water cannons and tear gas were also used against the protesters, according to Dawn.

Politicians, analysts, and human rights organisations have criticised the events that unfolded in Islamabad. Later, on Thursday night, the administration announced that 90 per cent of the Baloch men and women detained had been freed, except for individuals who police were unable to identify, according to Dawn. Earlier, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq chastised the capital city police over the same matter. (ANI)