Pakistan: Sit-in protests continue in Balochistan against torture, enforced disappearances

Balochistan [Pakistan], December 29 : The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a leading human rights organisation in Balochistan, has reported that two sit-in protests are ongoing in Pakistan, protesting against state atrocities on the Baloch people.
One protest is in response to the brutal torture and death of Zareef Baloch, with a shutter-down strike in Tump to condemn his killing and the inhumane treatment of his family.
BYC called on the people of Kech to join the demonstration at Fida Chowk, resisting the violence and barbarity they faced.
The organisation also condemned Pakistani forces and law enforcement agencies for being responsible for the act, demanding accountability for the perpetrators. In a statement, BYC wrote, "They aim to crush us daily, but we will continue to resist."
"Zareef Baloch was subjected to horrific torture, with his tongue cut out while he was still alive. This barbaric act appears to be a deliberate attempt to silence and suppress Baloch voices while concealing decades-long atrocities against the Baloch people", the post noted.
"While the past offers little hope for justice in cases of extrajudicial killings and systemic violence against the Baloch people, resistance remains the only means of survival and defiance," BYC wrote on X.
It also mentioned the enforced disappearance of Akhter Sha. "Simultaneously, the family of Akhter Sha, a victim of enforced disappearance, has blocked the Karachi-Quetta Highway at Kalat. Despite previous protests and sit-ins, their demands for the safe return of their loved ones have been ignored. Akhter Sha remains in illegal detention by Pakistani forces, highlighting the state's continued disregard for human rights and justice," the post mentioned.
BYC condemned the systematic oppression and militarized siege that Baloch people have endured for over seven decades.