Quetta [Pakistan], June 8 : While Muslims across Pakistan and the world celebrated Eid al-Adha, families in Balochistan spent the holiday protesting, demanding the recovery of forcibly disappeared loved ones and an end to state repression, The Balochistan Post reported.
In Quetta, the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) organised a protest rally on Eid day. The demonstration, attended by women, children, and the elderly, called for justice and the safe return of missing persons.
"At a time when families elsewhere are celebrating joyfully, Baloch families are on the streets, calling for justice," a protester said. "Their pain must be felt as our collective pain," The Balochistan Post quoted a speaker as saying.
Participants accused Pakistani security forces of violating constitutional and human rights through enforced disappearances. A VBMP leader stated that "instead of upholding the law, security forces in Balochistan are themselves violating it."
Simultaneous demonstrations were held across the Chaghi district, including Dalbandin, Nokundi, Yakmach, and Ameenabad, led by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) of the Rakhshan Region. In Dalbandin, families marched from the Arab Mosque to the press club, demanding the recovery of Ghulam Hazrat Baloch and Abdullah Baloch, missing since 2018.
Awareness pamphlets were distributed, highlighting alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. One pamphlet read: "Silence should be seen as death, and resistance as the path to life," The Balochistan Post reported.
In Kharan, the BYC held a protest demanding the release of detained leaders, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch. Children wore headbands reading "Yes, we are Mahrang," while families displayed photos of the disappeared.
In a statement titled 'Eid Festivities and the Grief of Baloch', the BYC asked: "Are you truly safe? The truth is, you are not, simply because you are Baloch." The group cited abductions, torture of children, and destruction of homes in Kalat's Sheikhri area by state forces.
"They have no ethics, no faith, and no fear of law," the statement read, urging unity and continued resistance. "Today is Eid," it concluded. "But for most Baloch families, there is no celebration, only grief," The Balochistan Post reported.
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