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Police in Karachi detained at least four protesters, including prominent Baloch woman activist Amna Baloch, during a peaceful demonstration organised by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Lyari on Thursday, The Balochistan Post reported.
The BYC has called on human rights organisations to intervene and hold Pakistan accountable for its ongoing campaign of intimidation and enforced disappearances targeting Baloch activists. According to The Balochistan Post, the protest was held in response to the alleged extrajudicial killing of Zeeshan Zaheer, a Baloch youth activist and member of BYC's Panjgur Organising Committee, whose body was discovered in Panjgur on June 30 after he was abducted a day earlier by an alleged state-backed militia. Zeeshan, who had been at the forefront of the campaign for the recovery of his forcibly disappeared father, Zaheer Ahmed Baloch (abducted in 2015), was found shot multiple times near Ghareeb Nawaz Hotel. His killing has sparked widespread outrage across Balochistan and beyond, with BYC condemning the act as a continuation of state repression against Baloch activists. The protest held in Karachi on Thursday was scheduled to begin from Lyari's 8 Chowk, The Balochistan Post reported. However, police forces intervened before the rally could begin, launching a violent crackdown on the demonstrators and disrupting the peaceful gathering. In a statement shared on X, BYC stated that Amna Baloch, along with three other activists, Suhail, Irfan, and an unnamed individual, were arrested and taken to Risala Police Station. The group denounced the arrests and demanded the immediate release of the detainees. "This is not the first time that our peaceful protests have faced state repression in Karachi," the BYC said in its statement. "The state must be held accountable for its crimes. Silencing dissent will not bury the truth." https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1940786727062589681 As per The Balochistan Post report, such crackdowns reflect a broader trend of suppressing peaceful resistance and shielding extrajudicial actions in Balochistan. (ANI)
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