Balochistan govt says ‘unconfirmed rumours of firing by security forces’ in Mastung
The Balochistan government on Saturday said there were “unconfirmed rumours of firing by security forces” in Mastung as a hospital official confirmed that 14 people were injured.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) is set to hold a gathering in Gwadar on Sunday, where leaders of different political parties and rights activists from across the country are expected to attend and discuss the issue of enforced disappearances.
The organisation posted updates since early in the morning today about supporters departing from various parts to head towards Gwadar.
A statement issued from the Balochistan government spokesperson today about an incident in Mastung said: “There are rumours related to firing in Mustang. Reports of firing by security forces are unconfirmed. The law and order situation in Balochistan is being deliberately pushed towards deterioration.”
It said no one was exempt from the law and action would be taken against those who disturbed the peace, adding that “the intentions behind the demonstration in Gwadar are clear.”
“Peaceful protest is everyone’s right, however, law cannot be allowed to be taken into one’s hands. The BYC has been invited to resolve the issues through dialogue,” it said.
The statement added that the government recognised the right to a peaceful protest but the BYC should also acknowledge the local administration’s right and responsibility to choose the site for the demonstration.
The statement reiterated an offer for talks with the BYC.
Meanwhile, the BYC posted various alleged videos from Mastung, claiming that security forces had opened fire at and broken the windows of buses and vehicles moving towards Gwadar, leaving people injured.
It further alleged that “hundreds of innocent civilians” were abducted, mobile and network services were blocked and homes were being raided.
Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital CEO Dr Saeed Ahmed told Dawn.com that 14 people injured by firing in Mastung were brought to the hospital, out of which five critically injured were moved to Quetta for treatment.
BYC member Bebarg Baloch said the people at Mastung were now staging a demonstration there and vowed to reach Gwadar.
A Dawn.com correspondent also reported that protesters blocked and shut down Quetta’s Sariab Road to demonstrate against the alleged Mastung incident. The BYC called on the protesters in Quetta to converge at Balochistan University for one sit-in.
BYC organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch appealed to human rights organisations to take immediate notice of the incident and called on the Baloch community to stage peaceful demonstrations wherever they were stopped.
“We will shut down entire Balochistan indefinitely against this barbarity,” she said.
Meanwhile, lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir warned that “the entire Balochistan will come out on the streets against this oppression and brutality of the state. This state is making a huge blunder which will have far-reaching consequences.”
Senior journalist Hamid Mir called on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari, whose party forms the government in the province, to answer for the incident and “who ordered it?”
The alleged incident also drew international attention as British MP John McDonnell said there were “worrying reports of Pakistani security forces attacking people travelling peacefully to the Baloch National Gathering. This attack reflects the ongoing human rights abuses taking place in Balochistan. Pressure is needed now on the Pakistani government to halt this oppression.”