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Protests erupted in Surab on Tuesday after reports emerged that a Pakistani military airstrike in the Gidar Goandhan area had killed more than 20 people and injured at least 16 others, according to The Balochistan Post (TBP).
The aerial attack was reportedly carried out on Tuesday and resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children. Local residents and police transported the injured and bodies of those killed to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Surab, where the wounded were undergoing treatment. Some residents claimed that the actual number of fatalities could be higher than the figures reported initially. At the time of TBP's report, the Pakistani military or security authorities had not issued any official statement confirming the incident or the reported casualties. In the aftermath of the attack, relatives of the victims and local residents placed the bodies on the N-25 Quetta-Karachi highway at Surab's main square and launched a sit-in protest. The demonstration brought traffic on the highway to a standstill, leading to long lines of vehicles on both sides of the road. Protesters said they would continue the sit-in until their demands were met. The incident also drew condemnation from political and civil society organisations. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) condemned the reported airstrike, voicing concern over the deaths of civilians, including women and children, and demanded accountability. In a statement, the organisation termed the bombing of a populated area an instance of state. According to the BYC, the strike was being organised to protest the airstrike and the reported killing of civilians. The group appealed to traders, political activists, civil society representatives and residents across Balochistan to join the shutdown, as reported by TBP. Meanwhile, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), questioned the reported targeting of civilians and children in comments shared on social media. Referring to photographs of the victims, he questioned whether the children could be labelled militants and asked whether peace could be achieved by killing children. Lawyer and political commentator Sajid Tareen Advocate also responded to the reports on X, calling claims that 27 people, including women and children, were killed in the airstrike tragic and expressing solidarity with the families affected by the incident, according to TBP. (ANI)
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