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The Balochistan government said that there were "unconfirmed rumours of firing by security forces" in the Mustang region, as a hospital official confirmed that 14 people got injured, reported Dawn.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) is set to hold a national gathering in Gwadar on Sunday, where leaders of different political parties and rights activists from across the country are expected to attend and discuss the issue of enforced disappearances. Since early morning, the organisation has been posting updates about supporters departing from various parts to head towards Gwadar. A spokesperson for the Balochistan government issued a statement, saying, "There are rumours related to firing in Mustang. Reports of firings by security forces are unconfirmed. The law and order situation in Balochistan is being deliberately pushed towards deterioration." It said no one was exempt from the law and action would be taken against those who disturbed the peace, adding that "the intentions behind the demonstration in Gwadar are clear," Dawn reported. "Peaceful protest is everyone's right, however, law cannot be allowed to be taken into one's hands. The BYC has been invited to resolve the issues through dialogue," it said. The statement noted that the government recognised the right to a peaceful protest but the BYC should also acknowledge the local administration's right and responsibility to choose the site for the demonstration. Meanwhile, the BYC posted various alleged videos from Mastung, claiming that security forces had opened fire at and broken the windows of buses and vehicles moving towards Gwadar, leaving people injured, as reported by Dawn. It further alleged that "hundreds of innocent civilians" were abducted, mobile and network services were blocked and homes were being raided. Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital CEO Dr Saeed Ahmed said that 14 people were injured by firing in Mastung, and were brought to the hospital, out of which five critically injured were moved to Quetta for treatment. BYC member Bebarg Baloch said that the people in Mastung were now staging a demonstration there and vowed to reach Gwadar. Moreover, the protesters have blocked and shut down Quetta's Sariab Road to demonstrate against the alleged Mastung incident. The BYC called on the protesters in Quetta to converge at Balochistan University for one sit-in. Following this, BYC organiser Mahrang Baloch appealed to human rights organisations to take immediate notice of the incident and called on the Baloch community to stage peaceful demonstrations wherever they were stopped, according to Dawn. "We will shut down entire Balochistan indefinitely against this barbarity," she said. Meanwhile, lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir warned that "the entire Balochistan will come out on the streets against this oppression and brutality of the state. This state is making a huge blunder which will have far-reaching consequences." (ANI)
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