The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Friday continued its sit-in at various parts of Balochistan, particularly in Gwadar, after claiming the government had failed to fulfill all points of an agreement inked a day earlier to end the demonstrations.
The BYC and the Balochistan government, on Thursday, had claimed to reach an agreement to end the sit-in. In the agreement, the government vowed to open all the roads for traffic, remove obstacles and release the arrested people after the peaceful dispersion of the protesters. It also vowed to restore suspended mobile and internet services and assured that no protester would be harassed by police. The BYC, however, has claimed it would not end the sit-in until all roads were first reopened for traffic, leaving the situation in a holding pattern.
“Despite ongoing negotiations, the state is intensifying its crackdown on peaceful protesters across Pakistan, leading to increased casualties and injuries among civilians,” the BYC alleged in a posting on X, formerly Twitter. “These brutal actions reveal their intention to suppress the peaceful Baloch movement against genocide,” it said, vowing to continue the demonstrations until the basic human rights and dignity of the Baloch were assured.
In response, the provincial government has claimed it has already released dozens of detained protesters, with more releases in progress, and it is the BYC’s responsibility to end the protests for further action. BYC leader Mahrang Baloch, however, has rejected this, maintaining the agreement has not been fully implemented and many workers and supporters remain in custody.
With both sides accusing the other of violating their agreement, demonstrations are continuing in Gwadar City, Mastung, Quetta, and their surrounding areas. Officials in Gwadar, meanwhile, have noted that pilgrims traveling from Iran have been left stranded due to the closure of the Makran Coastal Highway and other roads. They further said that the road blockades had impacted transport networks, leading to a food shortage in the Makran division.
The ongoing demonstration started last week when convoys of protesters demanding the recovery of missing persons were barred from reaching the BYC’s Gwadar meeting. Similarly, protesters in Mastung, heading to the coastal city to attend the BYC meeting were dispersed, resulting in 14 people being injured and a Pakistan Army soldier martyred.