Pakistan: Massive protests erupt in Balochistan’s Turbat against fake encounters

Massive protests have erupted in Turbat city, Pakistan’s Balochistan province after four youth were killed in a fake encounter by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) last Thursday.

Family members and workers of different political parties have joined the protest at the Fida Shaheed Chowk, along with the corpse of Balaach Mola Balsh, whose body was handed over to this family.

According to the family members, Bakhsh, along with three other people, was killed in a fake encounter as he was already in CTD custody since his arrest on October 29.

According to a Dawn newspaper report, a complete strike was also observed in Turbat town to protest against the killing.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the incident and posted on X, “HRCP strongly condemns the practice of extrajudicial killings by law enforcement and security agencies, which continue to be reported from Balochistan, particularly in Kech and its surrounding areas. Extrajudicial executions are not justified in any circumstances whatsoever, given that the state has a legal obligation to protect the right to life and the right to due process. The impunity accorded to perpetrators must cease and those responsible must be held to account.”

Lateef Johar Baloch, a human rights advocate, posted on X, “Balochistan has been made a slaughterhouse by Punjab to facilitate foreign investors to exploit its wealth and land. The Baloch youth were brutally murdered in brutal fake encounters in Kech because of the Chinese projects, including CPEC and Gwadar Port, which must end”.

He added, “The crimes of extrajudicial killings executed in the last few days are one of the thousands of such brutal atrocities committed by Punjab’s security forces against the owner of the land.”

According to the Baloch Freedom Front, “34 Baloch have been forcefully disappeared by Pakistan’s atrocious regime and two killed in October 2023.”

The incidents of forced abductions and extrajudicial killings of students and other intellectuals are continuing in parts of Balochistan. Such incidents have risen since the launch of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.