Karachi: In a week, the Sindh government has cracked down on the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) for the second time. It disrupted a peaceful rally led by the BYC from the Arts Council to the Karachi Press Club on Friday (August 2).
There was a massive police presence around the Arts Council of Pakistan in the city to prevent the Baloch from holding their rally. Fozia Baloch, a BYC activist, was surprised by the large police deployment at the Arts Council. When she inquired about the police presence, one policewoman said that Section 144 had been imposed. Fozia wondered when it had been announced.
Three days ago, the Sindh government did the same thing by arraying heavy police presence at the main entrance of the Karachi Press Club to stop a press conference by the BYC. However, the BYC managed to hold the conference.
Nevertheless, the police detained BYC members, including Fozia, who was detained again on August 2.
This time, not only BYC members, but other activists were also detained. A crackdown has also been reported In Balochistan.
Meanwhile, the government claims to be holding negotiations with the BYC’s leader, Dr Mahrang Baloch, in Gwadar, while simultaneously using violent action against the BYC when it holds peaceful protests.
Wahab Baloch, who is deputy organiser in the BYC, told The Wire that while religious political parties were allowed to protest in Karachi, the Baloch were not. “We [Baloch] are told that ‘Section 144 is for you [the BYC and the Baloch] and you are not allowed to hold a rally’,” he said.
Under Section 144 of Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, public gatherings involving more than four people, sit-ins, rallies and protests are not allowed.
Nida Kirmani, an activist who was also detained in Karachi, expressed surprise at seeing protests by religious groups nearby. When she inquired about these protests, the police told her they were permitted.
The Baloch have resolved to continue their protests to pressure the government to lift its ban on communication services in Gwadar, release all protestors and accept other demands by the BYC, which are addressed in an agreement the organisation signed with the Balochistan government yesterday that intended to end a days-long sit-in in Gwadar.
“Our demands are not different from the agreement. If the state is truly serious about the agreement, it should speak through its actions,” Farzana Baloch, an activist from Quetta, said. “But the government appears non-serious and it does want to resolve the situation.”
The Balochistan government has carried out violence across the province wherever BYC supporters carry out protests. This violence resulted in the killing of one Baloch in Nushki on August 2. Protestors shared with The Wire that they were leading a peaceful rally when the police opened fire on them.
Fozia criticized the government’s approach, noting the contrast between its actions and the peaceful nature of the BYC’s protests. She expressed surprise at the violence in Karachi, where the Pakistan People’s Party leads the government.
“We have the right to highlight what is happening in Balochistan and to know the situation of our BYC members in Gwadar,” she said.
“But whenever we hold protests, we are warned that it is a red zone area,” Fozia said. When asked about the police’s explanations, Fozia noted that the police seemed clueless about when such orders were issued against the Baloch.
Nida added: “The police kept saying they had orders from higher authorities. When we inquired about who the higher authorities were, the police responded saying ‘you know well who they are’.”
When asked about different treatment for Balochs and non-Balochs during crackdowns on protests, Nida said the police were respectful towards her because she was not Baloch, while Baloch women were not treated the same way.
She recalled that while a policewoman helped adjust her dupatta, Baloch women were being roughly forced into vans.
The police refused to release the detainees from Friday’s protest in Karachi unless the BYC promised not to protest further. Fozia declined the offer.
Although some Baloch women were temporarily released, those who continued the sit-in at the Karachi Press Club for the release of male protestors were violently beaten and arrested again at midnight.
Fozia said that people asked her why the Baloch were protesting. She responded by pointing out that while other political parties were holding large protests in the same city as them, the Baloch were told that Section 144 applied specifically to them.
