Protests Cast a Shadow Over Eid Festivities in Balochistan

As Muslims worldwide marked Eid al-Adha with celebrations, residents in Balochistan, Pakistan, used the holiday to protest the forced disappearances of their family members. Demonstrations organized by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) in Quetta called attention to the plight of missing persons and state repression.

Protesters, including women and children, accused Pakistani security forces of violating constitutional rights, with a VBMP leader saying that state actions flout the law. Parallel protests across the Chaghi district, led by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), spotlighted individual cases of disappearance and demanded justice through marches and pamphlets.

In Kharan, the BYC called for the release of detained leaders, with children symbolically supporting individuals like Dr. Mahrang Baloch. The protests underscored broader issues of security and ethnic targeting, with the groups emphasizing that Eid brings grief, not joy, to many in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)