Kabul [Afghanistan], August 14 : Protesters in Afghanistan have resumed their protests after a 23-day pause in response to the continued closure of the Spin Boldak-Chaman crossing., Afghanistan-based Tolo News reported.
Residents of Chaman began their protests eleven months ago in response to the Pakistani government's requirement for visas and passports at the Spin Boldak-Chaman crossing.
There have been many incidents when Pakistani forces fired at them, but their demands are yet to be addressed.
The protesters said that this time demonstrations will be broader than before, and they will continue until their demands are accepted by the Pakistani government, refusing to yield to any pressure, it reported.
"We will continue our new protest and will spare no effort in securing our rights. If the Pakistani government accepts our demands, the protest will end immediately,"Tolo News quoted Sadiq Achakzai, the spokesperson for the Chaman protest movement as saying.
"I urge all residents of Chaman to come to the streets and participate in this protest because this is our final battle for freedom," Tolo News reported Amir Muhammad, a leader of the Chaman protest movement as saying.
Several protesters called on human rights organisations to come to their help in their "final battle for freedom", Tolo News reported.
"We call on global human rights organizations to hear our voice and restore the rights of Chaman residents who have been deprived of them," Tolo News quoted Javid Afghan, a member of the Chaman protest as saying.
"We will not yield to any pressure and will not give up our demands for our rights. Our struggle is peaceful, and we are seeking our rightful entitlements," Tolo News reported Hayatullah, another member of the Chaman protest as saying.
Earlier on June 8, the Baloch People's Congress, a political organization dedicated to advocating for Baloch rights, strongly criticized the violence occurring in the Chaman area.
The statement said, "The brutality of Pakistan's Punjabi army on the peaceful protest and sit-in of the people for their rights in the Chaman area of Balochistan is very alarming and condemnable. For the past several months in Chaman, the people have been sitting on a peaceful sit-in for their social and economic rights, which are not being heard. Unfortunately, this peaceful sit-in is being met with continuous violence by the state army."
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