Protests Ignite in Basima Demanding Release of Kidnapped Baloch Siblings
Demonstrators in Basima demand the immediate release of Mahjabeen and Younus Baloch, kidnapped by Pakistani security forces. The protest, involving various social groups, calls for accountability and threatens wider demonstrations. Family members and advocacy groups highlight the unlawful nature of these enforced disappearances and demand justice.
- Country:
- Pakistan
A determined protest erupted in Basima, Washuk district, as demonstrators demanded the swift release of Mahjabeen Baloch and her brother, Younus Baloch, allegedly abducted by Pakistani security forces, reports The Balochistan Post (TBP). Participants included women, students, senior citizens, and civil society representatives, gathered in the main square, carrying photographs of the missing siblings and signs decrying enforced disappearances.
The protesters voiced slogans critical of Pakistani governmental policies and security forces in Balochistan. According to TBP, they warned of a province-wide protest movement if the Baloch siblings weren't released within 24 hours. Ruqia Baloch, Mahjabeen's sister, expressed the family's enduring trauma and urged that legal proceedings address any charges rather than unlawful detention.
Younus was reportedly taken from their Basima home on May 24, while Mahjabeen, a university student, was abducted from the Quetta Civil Hospital Hostel on May 29. The family claims the hostel search lacked a warrant, and no charges have been made. Advocacy groups label these actions as acts of cowardice and intensifying genocide against the Baloch, demanding an immediate end to these injustices, TBP reports.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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