After nearly a week of protests, the interim Balochistan government on Wednesday constituted a four-member committee to probe the killing of Balaach Mola Bakhsh in an alleged clash with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Turbat.
According to a notification issued by provincial authorities, Fisheries Secretary Imran Gichki would head the committee, which also includes the Quetta deputy inspector general of police, the deputy commissioner of Kech and the Gwadar SSP. It has been tasked with investigating the CTD’s alleged encounter with Balaach and submitting a report on the matter to the government within 15 days.
The decision came after nearly a week of protests, during which Balaach’s family refused to bury him and demanded the registration of a case against the CTD officials involved in the operation. Following negotiations and the notification of an inquiry, Balaach was buried at the Koh-e-Murad graveyard.
However, his family and members of the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC) have vowed to continue their protests until justice was ensured.
The protests, including a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike, had brought Makran division to a virtual standstill. Spanning six days thus far, the demonstrations were initiated by Balaach’s family, who staged a sit-in at Turbat with his body to demand the registration of a case against the CTD officials responsible.
The BYC had subsequently joined them, issuing a call for a total strike, which was supported by hundreds of political workers and human rights activists, as well as local businesses and traders. As a consequence, Makran division was cut-off from the rest of the country, as transporters also lent it their support.
Addressing the protesters on Wednesday evening, leaders of the BYC slammed police for refusing to register a FIR against the CTD officials despite orders to do so by a sessions court in Turbat. They also warned that the sit-in would be expanded to other areas of Balochistan to demand an end to extrajudicial killings and abductions.
On Nov. 24, the CTD issued a statement claiming it had killed four people in an operation, including Shakoor Baloch, Saif Baloch, and Balaach Mola Bakhsh. The incident immediately triggered outrage, as Balaach’s family and human rights activists questioned how he was slain in an operation when he was already in the custody of law enforcers.