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The locals, drivers and transporters in the Kech area of Balochistan staged a protest, raising their voices against the alleged acts of corruption, extortion, and violence they face at a levies checkpoint, The Balochistan Post reported.
According to the report, protestors have claimed that individuals allegedly working as private guards for a local assistant commissioner associated with the levy of charges have been extorting money from these transporters. They added that they sometimes also use violence if their demands are not met. In a recent incident, the guards forced a vehicle owner to give 20 litres of petrol. In another incident, an official of the levy department was also accused of setting a blaze at a stall owned by a hotelier, the Balochistan Post reported. The protestors further demanded that the administration investigate these incidents and also address the unlawful acts done by these officials and the private guard. However, other than acts of corruption and violence, the biggest issue faced by the Baloch people currently is enforced disappearances. Previously, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Highway in Balochistan was blocked after a case of enforced disappearance came to the fore. Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch stated that the family of the victim has blocked the CPEC route and demanded his release. Mahrang also accused Pakistan's Frontier Corps officers of threatening and beating the protestors. She added that the missing man's family has continued the protest. In the picture shared by Mahrang Baloch on social media platform X, people were seen blocking the road to protest against the enforced disappearance of that man. Mahrang Baloch, in her post on X, stated, "Another case of enforced disappearances in #Balochistan. Wahid Bux, a resident of Kech, has been abducted from his home. His family's has blocked the CPEC route, demanding justice and his release. FC officers have threatened and beaten the protesters and the family but the family has continued their protest." The missing man has been identified as Wahid Bakhsh, who also belonged to Balochistan's Kech district, The Balochistan Post reported. The man was allegedly forcibly disappeared in a house raid carried out by Pakistani forces in Sami on the outskirts of Turbat city of Kech, The Balochistan Post reported. After the incident, family members of the missing man and local residents blocked the M-8 CPEC highway near Sami and demanded his safe recovery. During the sit-in on the highway, a large number of Pakistani forces surrounded the protesters and brandished guns and during this time there was a scuffle while the forces reportedly tried to whisk another youth away. (ANI)
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