Pakistani author Hanif Mohammad returns award in protest against action on Balochistan march
Dec 23, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 23 : Amid the ongoing Baloch protest in Pakistan, Pakistani author and journalist Hanif Mohammad returned his "Sitara e Imtiaz" award on Saturday in protest against Pakistan's action on the Balochistan march.
In a social media post, Hanif accused the state government of abducting and torturing Baloch citizens.
https://x.com/mohammedhanif/status/1738514456756326454?s=20
In a post shared on X, he said, "In protest, returning my Sitara e Imtiaz, given to me by a state that continues to abduct and torture Baloch citizens. Journalists of my generation have seen @SammiBaluch and @MahrangBaloch_ grow up in protest camps. Ashamed to witness a new generation being denied basic dignity."
On Wednesday night, Islamabad Police cracked down on and broke up Baloch protesters, who had gathered in the capital to voice their opposition to enforced disappearances and alleged extrajudicial killings in their region.
More than 200 demonstrators from various parts of Islamabad were arrested. Police batons, water cannons and tear gas were also used against the protesters, according to Dawn.
Politicians, analysts, and human rights organisations denounced the events.
Later, on Thursday night, the administration announced that 90 per cent of the Baloch men and women detained had been freed, with the exception of individuals who police were unable to identify, according to Dawn.
Notably, the movement against the Baloch Genocide; the detained females were released at last after 26 hours of humiliation, harassment and torture from Islamabad Police.
Still, 162 male protestors have been shifted to Adiala Jail and more than 50 males have been detained in different police stations in Islamabad.
"We request and appeal to the Baloch nation to continue their protests against the inhumane treatment of protesters in Islamabad and stand up against this treatment of Baloch nation and raise their voice in each and every possible way for those detained friends, who had the courage to speak and stand against the mass genocide of Baloch nation," the committee posted earlier.
The committee further stated, "We shall continue our movement against Baloch Genocide and the extra-judicial abductions."
