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At least 14 injured in violence as Baloch rights group protests ‘abuses’ in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Woman activists of Baloch Yakjehti Committee stage protest against alleged human rights violations and heavy deployment of security forces in Balochistan blocking a key traffic road in Quetta on July 28, 2024. (Photo Courtesy: BYC)
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Updated 28 July 2024
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At least 14 injured in violence as Baloch rights group protests ‘abuses’ in Pakistan’s Balochistan

  • Baloch Yakjehti Committee accuses security forces of opening fire on caravans of supporters in the Mastung district
  • The Balochistan government rejects the BYC claims and warns of ‘action against people spoiling peace in the province’
Updated 28 July 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: More than a dozen protesters, who were en route to Gwadar to protest “rights abuses” in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, were injured in violence in the Mastung district, officials and protesters said on Sunday, amid a shutdown of Internet, mobile phone and broadband services.
The protesters were on way to Gwadar to attend ‘Baloch Raji Muchi,’ or Baloch National Gathering, summoned by Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which advocates for ethnic Baloch rights, to rally the masses against alleged human rights violations and heavy deployment of security forces in the southwestern province.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a low-level insurgency for the last two decades by separatists, who say they are fighting what they see as unfair exploitation of the province’s wealth by the federation. The Pakistani state denies the allegation.
The BYC said its supporters, including women and children who wanted to travel to Gwadar, came under attack in the Mastung district on Saturday and had since camped in Mastung, Quetta and Turbat, blocking traffic on key highways connecting Balochistan with other provinces for a second consecutive day on Sunday.
Gulzar Dost Baloch, a BYC member who was leading a protest in Quetta, said thousands of their members and supporters were leaving Mastung for the Gwadar coastal city, when “security forces attacked the buses with straight gun fire” on Saturday afternoon.
“Fourteen BYC members were injured in the attack and one who received a head injury is in serious condition and being treated at Trauma Center in Quetta,” Baloch told Arab News. “The government and security forces placed hurdles on highways in Mastung and Quetta to intercept BYC caravans, which were going to attend the Baloch National Gathering.”
The Balochistan government rejected the BYC’s claims of firing on caravans going to attend the gathering in Gwadar.
“The government will take action against people spoiling peace in the province,” Shahid Rind, a government spokesman said in a statement, describing the Gwadar rally as a “conspiracy” to disturb peace in the province.
“We have invited the BYC for talks with the government but they are not ready to talk,” he added.




Local business community observes shutter down strike in Nushki on July 28, 2024, amid Baloch Yakjehti Committee protest against alleged human rights violations and heavy deployment of security forces in Balochistan. (AN Photo)

Arbab Awais Kasi, a spokesman at the Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Hospital in Mastung, confirmed that 14 wounded persons had been brought to the hospital and four of them had been critically injured and referred to Quetta for better medical care.
When asked, Kasi refused to confirm whether all or some of the injured persons had suffered gunshot wounds.
Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog, said it was “alarmed at the use of unlawful and unnecessary force” against the protesters and called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately lift the Internet shutdown in Balochistan, and fulfil their obligations under domestic and international human rights law.
“Amnesty is alarmed at the use of unlawful and unnecessary force against the participants of the Baloch National Gathering by security forces yesterday,” it said on X. “It is a blatant violation of people’s right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was “gravely concerned” about the situation unfolding in Balochistan, particularly in Gwadar, Mastung and Turbat, as Baloch citizens continued attempting to gather for the protest.
“We have received reports of violence against protesters, resulting in injuries, and alleged attempts by state authorities to intimidate leaders of the @BalochYakjehtiC into calling off the gathering, including through arrests and enforced disappearances,” it said on X.
“While it is difficult to confirm all such reports, given the connectivity blackout in parts of the province, HRCP calls urgently on the federal and provincial governments not to repeat past mistakes and instead to constitute a high-level parliamentary delegation to meet Baloch representatives and listen carefully to their demands. In any event, as citizens of Pakistan, the protesters should not be denied their constitutional right to assemble peacefully.”
Arab News attempted to contact Dr. Mahrang Baloch, who leads the BYC, and other protest leaders who had reached Gwadar to get their comments and know the situation in the port city, but they could not be reached because of Internet and mobile service suspension.
“There has been a complete blackout of Internet in Gwadar and Kech districts since Friday evening and mobile service is likely to be suspended today,” Dr. Mahrang told Arab News on Saturday.
On Sunday, a complete shutter-down strike was observed in Mastung, Kalat and Nushki districts of Balochistan and businesses remained largely closed on the call of BYC over violence against Baloch protesters in Mastung.

Topics: Baloch Yakjehti Committee Balochistan province Dr. Mahrang Baloch

Pakistan PM praises naval forces for defending maritime boundaries on Navy Day

Updated 10 sec ago
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Pakistan PM praises naval forces for defending maritime boundaries on Navy Day

  • The day commemorates Pakistan Navy’s strategic achievements during the 1965 war
  • Naval forces also reaffirm commitment to safeguarding Pakistan’s territorial waters
Updated 10 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised Pakistan’s naval forces for safeguarding the country’s maritime boundaries in honor of Navy Day, observed on September 8.
Navy Day is to commemorate the Pakistani naval forces’ strategic achievements during the 1965 war with India, particularly Operation Dwarka.
The operation, which targeted and destroyed key radar installations along the Indian coast, played a role in disrupting air attacks on Karachi.
“On Navy Day, I extend my heartfelt felicitations to all members of the Pakistan Navy,” the prime minister said in a social media post.
“Their steadfast commitment to protecting our maritime boundaries exemplifies their unwavering dedication to duty and passion for the country,” he added. “Regardless of the challenges they face, their determination and spirit remain resolute. We deeply value their service and sacrifices, and their contributions to safeguarding our maritime borders.”

 
The Pakistan Navy also released a video earlier in the day, showcasing the country’s mountainous landscapes and meandering rivers while reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding Pakistan’s territorial waters.

Topics: Pakistan Navy

Two brothers of police official killed in northwestern Pakistan amid rising militant violence

Updated 08 September 2024
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Two brothers of police official killed in northwestern Pakistan amid rising militant violence

  • Incident took place in the volatile Lakki Marwat district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
  • The brother of a station house officer in the region were killed in front of their residence on Saturday
Updated 08 September 2024
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: Unidentified gunmen killed two brothers of a police official in Pakistan’s northwestern Lakki Marwat district, confirmed a spokesperson for the law enforcement agency on Sunday, as the country grapples with a surge in militant violence in its western region, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistani authorities say attacks on security forces and police personnel have significantly increased since the US-led coalition forces left Afghanistan in August 2021 and the Taliban took power in Kabul.
Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that militants have been using Afghan soil to carry out attacks on civilians and security forces, even blaming the Afghan Taliban for facilitating them.
However, the administration in Kabul denies this, asserting that Pakistan’s security problems are Islamabad’s internal issue.
Asked about the Lakki Marwat attack, local police spokesperson Shahid Hameed confirmed the incident and provided details.
“Last night [Saturday], at around 9:30 PM, unidentified terrorists opened fire in front of the residence of Station House Officer [SHO] Shafi Ullah in the village of Abakhel, which is within the jurisdiction of Lakki City Police Station,” he said.
He explained that the SHO’s brothers were outside the house after offering their night prayers when the gunmen, riding a motorbike, opened fire, killing them instantly.
When asked if they had received threats from militants, Hameed maintained no one in the region was safe, and everyone faced threats.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has remained active in the region in such violent activities.
Last month, militants targeted a convoy of local judges in Tank district. Prior to that, an attack on a police station in February claimed the lives of 10 officers and injured six others in Dera Ismail Khan.
Pakistani officials say TTP militants have been using night vision devices and advanced weaponry left behind by US-led forces in Afghanistan.

Topics: LAKKI MARWAT

Women ride Pakistan’s economic crisis into the workplace

Updated 08 September 2024
AFP
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Women ride Pakistan’s economic crisis into the workplace

  • Pakistan was first Muslim nation to be led by a woman PM in 1980s, women CEOs grace power lists in Forbes magazine, make up ranks of police and military
  • But much of Pakistani society operates under a traditional code which requires women to have permission from their family to work outside of the home
Updated 08 September 2024
AFP

KARACHI: Amina Sohail veers through heavy traffic to pick up her next passenger — the sight of a woman riding a motorcycle drawing stares in Pakistan’s megacity of Karachi.
The 28-year-old is the first woman in her family to enter the workforce, a pattern emerging in urban households coming under increasing financial pressure in Pakistan.
“I don’t focus on people, I don’t speak to anyone or respond to the hooting, I do my work,” said Sohail, who joined a local ride-hailing service at the start of the year, transporting women through the dusty back streets of the city.
“Before, we would be hungry, now we get to eat at least two to three meals a day,” she added.
The South Asian nation is locked in a cycle of political and economic crises, dependent on IMF bailouts and loans from friendly countries to service its debt.
Prolonged inflation has forced up the price of basic groceries such as tomatoes by 100 percent. Electricity and gas bills have risen by 300 percent compared to July last year, according to official data.
Sohail used to help her mother with cooking, cleaning and looking after her younger siblings, until her father, the family’s sole earner, fell sick.
“The atmosphere in the house was stressful,” she said, with the family dependent on other relatives for money. “That’s when I thought I must work.”
“My vision has changed. I will work openly like any man, no matter what anyone thinks.”

In this photograph taken on August 19, 2024, Amina Sohail, a motorbike rider with a local ride-hailing service provider Bykea, speaks during an interview with AFP in Karachi. (AFP)

Pakistan was the first Muslim nation to be led by a woman prime minister in the 1980s, women CEOs grace power lists in Forbes magazine, and they now make up the ranks of the police and military.
However, much of Pakistani society operates under a traditional code which requires women to have permission from their family to work outside of the home.
According to the United Nations, just 21 percent of women participate in Pakistan’s work force, most of them in the informal sector and almost half in rural areas working in the fields.

In this photograph taken on August 17, 2024, receptionist Hina Saleem talks on a telephone at a leather factory in Karachi. (AFP)

“I am the first girl in the family to work, from both my paternal and maternal side,” said Hina Saleem, a 24-year-old telephone operator at a leather factory in Qur’angi, Karachi’s largest industrial area.
The move, supported by her mother after her father died, was met with resistance from her extended family.
Her younger brother was warned that working could lead to socially unacceptable behavior, such as finding a husband of her choice.
“My uncles said ‘get her married’,” she told AFP. “There was lots of pressure on my mother.”
At the changeover of shifts outside the leather factory, workers arrive in painted buses decorated with chinking bells, with a handful of women stepping out amid the crowd of men.

In this photograph taken on August 17, 2024, employee Anum Shahzadi sorts jackets at a leather factory in Karachi. (AFP)

Nineteen-year-old Anum Shahzadi, who works in the same factory inputting data, was encouraged by her parents to enter the workforce after completing high school, unlike generations before her.
“What is the point of education if a girl can’t be independent,” said Shahzadi, who now contributes to the household alongside her brother.
Bushra Khaliq, executive director for Women In Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) which advocates for political and economic rights for women, said that Pakistan was “witnessing a shift” among urban middle class women.
“Up until this point, they had been told by society that taking care of their homes and marriage were the ultimate objective,” she told AFP.
“But an economic crunch and any social and economic crises bring with them a lot of opportunities.”

In this photograph taken on August 18, 2024, a homemaker Farzana Augustine prepares lunch for her son at their house in Karachi. (AFP)

Farzana Augustine, from Pakistan’s minority Christian community, earned her first salary last year at the age of 43, after her husband lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My wife had to take over,” Augustine Saddique explained to AFP.
“But it is nothing to be sad about, we are companions and are running our house together.”
The sprawling port metropolis of Karachi, officially home to 20 million people but likely many millions more, is the business center of Pakistan.
It pulls in migrants and entrepreneurs from across the country with the promise of employment and often acts as a bellwether for social change.

In this photograph taken on August 16, 2024, childminder Zahra Afzal heads to work, in Karachi. (AFP)

Nineteen-year-old Zahra Afzal moved to Karachi to live with her uncle four years ago, after the death of her parents, leaving her small village in central-eastern Pakistan to work as a childminder.
“If Zahra was taken by other relatives, she would have been married off by now,” her uncle Kamran Aziz told AFP, from their typical one room home where bedding is folded away in the morning and cooking is done on the balcony.
“My wife and I decided we would go against the grain and raise our girls to survive in the world before settling them down.”
Afzal beams that she is now an example for her sister and cousin: “My mind has become fresh.”

Topics: Pakistani women pakistani bikers

Pakistan reaffirms commitment to UN peacekeeping on International Day of Police Cooperation

Updated 08 September 2024
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Pakistan reaffirms commitment to UN peacekeeping on International Day of Police Cooperation

  • Pakistan says it has contributed 235,000 troops to 48 peacekeeping missions in 29 countries since 1960
  • Over 180 Pakistanis deployed in different parts of the world have died during these UN operations
Updated 08 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to UN peacekeeping missions while marking the International Day of Police Cooperation, noting its police contingents have actively contributed to global peace by serving the world body since the 1960s.
UN peacekeeping operations, carried out in conflict zones, are crucial in maintaining security, protecting civilians and fostering sustainable peace in post-conflict areas.
In May, Pakistan announced it had contributed 235,000 troops to 48 missions in 29 countries since 1960.
A month later, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi pledged to send 128 additional police officers to UN peacekeeping forces after meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York.
“Since the 1960s, Pakistan’s police have actively contributed to United Nations’ peacekeeping missions in countries such as Sudan, Haiti, Kosovo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the Pakistani diplomatic mission said in a social media post. “Their roles include maintaining law and order, training local police forces, and providing security for humanitarian operations.”
It said Pakistan also deploys female officers, enhancing their ability to engage with vulnerable groups, adding the professionalism of the country’s police has earned them international recognition.
“On the International Day of Police Cooperation today, we reiterate our resolve to continue working under the @UNPeacekeeping to promote global peace, security and stability,” it continued.

 
According to the Pakistan military’s statement, more than 180 Pakistanis deployed in different parts of the world have died during the peacekeeping operations.

Topics: UN peacekeepers

‘Colonizer to colonized’: Pakistani photographer travels from London to Quetta ‘without flying’

Updated 08 September 2024
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‘Colonizer to colonized’: Pakistani photographer travels from London to Quetta ‘without flying’

  • Danial Shah’s 58-day-journey brought him home to Quetta via trains, ferries, buses and taxis at a cost of $2,509
  • Historic Quetta-London Road was once a popular route for international tourists and considered a ‘gateway’ to Europe
Updated 08 September 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: Earlier this year, Danial Shah, a Pakistani photographer and filmmaker currently pursuing a doctorate in visual and performing arts in Brussels, got an idea: to travel from the land of the colonizer, Britain, which had ruled the Indian subcontinent from 1858 to 1947, to the land that was colonized, present day Pakistan — but without flying.

Thus began a journey that took him from London to the southwestern Pakistani town of Quetta, the city of his birth, via trains, ferries, buses and taxis at a cost of $2,509.

“I wanted to start my journey from London, the reason is that Britain ruled our country for a long time, colonized us and it is Britain that gives us [Pakistanis] visas with great difficulty,” Shah, a 35-year-old documentary filmmaker and photographer, told Arab News in an interview in Quetta.

Pakistani photographer and backpacker Danial Shah, who travelled from London to Quetta in 58 days via trains, ferries, buses and taxis, uses his phone in a street in Quetta on September 3, 2024, during an interview with Arab News. (AN Photo)

“So I thought if I get a visa, I will start my journey from the place where the colonizer lives and reach the place which they colonized.”

Spending his early childhood in Quetta, Shah was always thrilled by the stories of foreign travelers who frequented the area and often arrived using what was dubbed the historic Quetta-London Road, once a popular route for international tourists and considered a ‘gateway’ to Europe.

“I often used to see foreigners here and when you asked someone their story, they would say, ‘We have come from Germany, from London, traveling through Turkiye and Iran’,” Shah said. “So, when I found time, I thought I should go on this journey also.”

This map, shared by Pakistani photographer and backpacker Danial Shah, shows his journey from London to Quetta. Shah’s 58-day-journey brought him home to Quetta via trains, ferries, buses and taxis at a cost of $2,509. (Photo courtesy: Danial Sheikh)

Frequent public commuting through the Quetta-London route, stretching over thousands of miles, began after the end of World War I and people even used it to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, according to Dr. Irfan Ahmed Baig, a Quetta-based historian and author of the Urdu-language book ‘Quetta My City.’ European tourists choose the route to enter Turkiye via Greece and continued onwards to the Middle East and Asia. The route was diverted to Central Asia from Afghanistan, from where to leads to India and Bangladesh via Pakistan.

“A Quetta-London bound bus service was started in the 1950 but it was suspended due to unknown reasons,” Baig told Arab News. “During the Soviet Union’s incursion on Afghanistan, tourist movement through this route declined due to security reasons.”

Shah’s journey through a stretch of the route also did not come without difficulty as he faced strict border security checks on account of holding a Pakistani passport, considered one of the weakest travel documents according to global rankings, and amid fears about human smuggling and illegal migration.

This photo, posted on August 11, 2024 on Instagram, shows Pakistani photographer and backpacker Danial Shah, who travelled from London to Quetta in 58 days via trains, ferries, buses and taxis, at the Albania Museum in Tirana, Albania. (Photo courtesy: Danial Shah)

“At various border crossing points, I was the only one off-boarded from buses and questioned by border security forces,” he said.

But he powered on and the journey that began in London on July 3 took him through Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East, to Pakistan’s Balochistan province on August 21.

“From London, I traveled to France. From France, I went to Italy, where I took a boat to Croatia. From Croatia, I went to Serbia, Serbia to Bosnia, and from Bosnia to Montenegro, Albania,” the University of Antwerp student said.

“From Albania, I entered Greece. Then I took a boat from Greece to Turkiye and from Turkiye I took a bus to Iran. From Iran I traveled through buses and taxis and reached Pakistan.”

He said he was grateful for the people he met along the way and the hospitality and warmth he was offered.

“I enjoyed Bosnia the most, followed by Albania, and then Turkiye and Iran, because their manner of hospitality is similar to our Quetta,” Shah said.

His next plan is to save up for journeys to ever new countries and cultures.

This photo, posted on August 22, 2024 on Instagram, shows Pakistani photographer and backpacker Danial Shah, who travelled from London to Quetta in 58 days via trains, ferries, buses and taxis, in Iran. (Photo courtesy: Danial Shah)

“I wish to plan a year-long journey after saving some money to see more countries and additional stay,” Shah said, “because I met many people who were on the same route but traveling to Central Asia via Iran and Afghanistan to Vietnam.”

Topics: Quetta

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