Seminars, vigils mark 'Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day' across Balochistan

Quetta [Pakistan], January 27 (ANI): People across Balochistan and Baloch-populated regions observed January 25 with seminars, vigils and awareness campaigns to mark what the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) calls "Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day", The Balochistan Post reported.
According to the report, the day was dedicated to remembering victims of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other alleged human rights abuses.
Events were held in multiple cities and towns, reflecting, organisers said, growing concern over the human rights situation in the region.
In Quetta, the provincial capital, a seminar organised by the BYC focused on the 2014 discovery of mass graves in Tootak, Khuzdar, an incident activists regard as a defining symbol of the suffering faced by families of the forcibly disappeared, The Balochistan Post said.
Relatives of missing persons shared testimonies detailing years of uncertainty, psychological distress and financial hardship. Family members of detained BYC leaders also spoke at the event, accusing authorities of "weaponising the law" to suppress peaceful dissent.
As reported by The Balochistan Post, Speakers highlighted the arrests of Dr Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Shaji Baloch and Beebarg Baloch, stating that enforced disappearances, harassment and restrictions on protest indicated a worsening human rights climate.
The seminar concluded with a call for international attention, with participants declaring that continued persecution would only strengthen their resolve.
In Taunsa, Koh-e-Sulaiman, a peaceful demonstration commemorated individuals described by organisers as victims of state-backed projects, uranium mining and environmental degradation. The Balochistan Post reported that photographs of people who died from cancer were displayed alongside flowers and candles, highlighting concerns over alleged nuclear-related activities and the lack of basic healthcare facilities. Participants said the Baloch-populated region had been deliberately deprived of hospitals, schools and essential services.
Additional seminars were held in Dalbandin and Turbat, where speakers discussed enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the suppression of political expression.
In Turbat, participants again recalled the Tootak graves, where more than 100 unidentified bodies were discovered in 2014, The Balochistan Post noted.
Awareness campaigns were also conducted in Surab, Mastung and Khuzdar, where pamphlets were distributed in bazaars and residential areas to raise awareness of what organisers described as ongoing repression.
According to The Balochistan Post, the BYC says 25 January serves as a day of remembrance and a global appeal for recognition of alleged systematic abuses against the Baloch people. (ANI)