Government turning Balochistan into mass internment camp: Mahrang Baloch
Sep 12, 2024
Quetta [Pakistan], September 12 : Baloch rights leader Mahrang Baloch in a statement lamented the Balochistan government for adding activists to the Fourth Schedule list under the Anti-Terrorism Act in Pakistan and said that the local administration of Balochistan is trying to convert the province into a mass internment camp, similar to Xinjiang region.
The leader called the move by the Balochistan government as a systematic abuse of the Baloch community. In a post on X, Mahrang Baloch stated, "The Balochistan government, at the behest of the military establishment, is carrying out massive and systematic abuses by placing thousands of names on the Fourth Schedule, a draconian anti-terror watch list. In Quetta alone, 137 people were added to the Fourth Schedule in July, including students, activists, writers, lecturers, and professors."
https://x.com/MahrangBaloch_/status/1833381256513655184
According to a report by Dawn, the list included names of political activists, leaders of student organisations, writers and even government employees figure in the list. However, a government notification released recently claimed that their names were put into the list over their alleged links with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The statement by the Baloch leader also said, "This list also includes my brother, Nasir Baloch, who has previously been a victim of enforced disappearance and has no connection to any form of political activism. Adding the names of peaceful individuals or family members of activists to an anti-terror watch list is part of a larger campaign of subjugation and oppression against the Baloch people in Balochistan."
The statement further added that the local administration of Balochistan is attempting to convert the province into a mass internment camp, similar to those in the Xinjiang autonomous region (East Turkistan), to control, dictate, oppress, and change the thoughts of the people. However, the Baloch rights leader emphasized that the Baloch community will continue to resist any such attempts by the Baloch administration. "I urge civil society, the media, international human rights organizations, and political stakeholders to speak out against this blatant misuse of the law" Mahrang Baloch added.
