Early on Sunday, Balochs who travelled for almost 1500 kilometres to Punjab and then to Islamabad in the green areas in front of the Islamabad Press Club. What all they wanted and their demands were that their beloved and relatives are missing and they do not know whether they are alive, in prison or been killed by means of extra-judicial killing (a recent case of extra-judicial killing of Balaj Baloch), where are they and they want the state to present the disappeared people. It is obvious that if their beloved are missing or disappeared and they would also like to know about their whereabouts.
According to Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VMBP) there are more than 7,000 missing persons from Balochistan. However, the commission of inquiry says that there are just 454 active cases in Balochistan.
The state continued to arrest the protestors, Police forcefully get the women into van to send back them to Quetta. On the other hand more than 50 women were missing after the capital’s police action. They were protesting for their rights which are the right of every citizen to protest peacefully, but police arrested them without any solid reason.
The IGP Akbar Nasir Khan was summoned by the IHC, who denied the arrest of women and children and claimed that 16 women were taken into custody but released after brief confinement. The IGP also claimed that the protestors were entering into the Red Zone, that’s why police arrested them. Furthermore he also highlighted, last year on Christmas a suicide bomber was arrested and also some terrorist activities in other cities. The IGP further explained that police give them permission to continue their protest in front of the National Press Club but the protestors bombard the policemen with stones.
Now it’s not only the issue of Balochistan, but also the same issue is faced in KPK with Pashtuns. Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement which is a renowned and leading Movement of Pakhtuns, their representative also meet and welcome them. If we look inside Balochistan most of the Balochs are alienated from the state but I would say from Pakistan. The meeting of PTM and Baloch March jointly is a sensitive matter for the state and the state and politicians was supposed to deal this issue in a very sensitive manner but things not happens in that way but happened reversely. The things that should not be done by the state, execute that in the face of police operation to scattered the protest. Now Baloch will say that our point of view is always oppressed.
It may promote radicalization among Pakhtuns and Baloch which will unite them strongly, this was a very bad decision by the state. This was the time to listen to them and to stand with them shoulder to shoulder. That is the way the government should respond. (Dr Taimur rehman, Professor at LUMS).
Over the time, most of Baloch and Pakhtuns moved from rural to urban areas specifically for job and education which also contributes to the network which makes such protest more visible and successful.
This longest insurgency in Balochistan has been led by most of the affected class, those who are picked up and those who fight for their return, and not the Sardars who continue to be the face of Balochistan in Islamabad. The representatives of Balochistan in Islamabad are the first to be maligned when the issue of Balochistan rights comes up. They appear to be more irrelevant for the people of Balochistan.
This was a good opportunity for the government to prove that the State is ready to listen the demands of Balochs, it was also a good opportunity for the political parties to express solidarity, listen to their needs and to give them support that whatever your problems are we will unitedly solve it. But things happened reversely, Government welcome the protestors with water cannons, arrest most of the protestant and make the protest scattered which prove their trail right, which is, that when we raise voice for our rights government oppressed our voices and exactly government prove the same point of view.
This basically portraying the failure of our democracy and politics. People will left with no other choice but to turn to violence, because neither the parliament is taking this issue into consideration nor the state.