Situation in Gwadar "extremely critical": Baloch activist over crackdown on protestors

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 4 (ANI): Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch, hit out at the Pakistani administration for restoring to a brutal and violent crackdown against the protestors, and called the situation in the entire region "extremely critical."
She further asked journalists, political activists, and human rights organisations to question who issued these orders to fire upon the protestors.
Taking to social media platform X, Mahrang Baloch stated, "The situation in Gwadar and the entire region is extremely critical right now, with millions of lives at risk."
"We have been sitting in a peaceful sit-in for the past eight days. All our demands are constitutional and legal, and we have been in continuous negotiations with the government regarding these demands. But why are the Frontier Corps (FC) and state secret agencies continuously using violence and power against peaceful protesters? Journalists, political activists, and human rights organisations should question who issued and why these orders for straight firing on peaceful protesters during negotiations," she added.
The Baloch activist said that while they were negotiating with the Pakistani government, fire was opened on peaceful protesters in Nushki, killing one and injuring several more.
She questioned on whose orders, the forces fired on a peaceful rally in Gwadar, killing one of the protestors and leaving over 200 people injured.
Mahrang Baloch further said that the protestors had assured the Pakistani government that the Baloch National Gathering was just a one-day 'peaceful' event on July 28, but despite that, the roads were blocked, fire was opened on people in Mastung and Talar, and hundreds were arrested.
She further alleged that as the protestors sat against the "barbarism and oppression" in Gwadar, presenting their demands and inviting the Pakistani government for negotiations, MI personnel were sent to "kill" the protestors.
"On whose orders was a curfew imposed across the Makuran region, roads blocked, shops and markets closed, and a crisis-like environment created against a peaceful sit-in? Who are the people repeatedly issuing orders to kill our leadership during the sit-in, continuously threatening, harassing, and trying to provoke us?" she stated.
"If you genuinely want to understand the current situation in Gwadar beyond the narrative of the Pakistani mainstream media and the war profiteers sitting in the parliament of Balochistan, you should consider these questions," Baloch further added in her post.
The 'Baloch Raaji Muchi' was announced on July 28 in Gwadar, Balochistan.
However, the event quickly transformed into a sit-in protest following a "brutal crackdown" by state authorities, who used force and made multiple arrests to prevent the gathering. The BYC reported that the crackdown involved significant force, leading to widespread unrest.
The protests have since escalated and spread throughout Balochistan, evolving into rallies, shut down strikes, and the closure of major highways.
These widespread actions reflect the growing discontent and determination among the Baloch people to demand justice and the release of detained individuals.
The situation in Balochistan has long been marked by ongoing tensions and conflicts between Baloch activists and Pakistani security forces. The region has witnessed numerous human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture. (ANI)