Pakistan protest: Baloch worker Gulzar friend arrested; Displeasure over disappearance applicable

Gulzar friend, a famous social worker and convenor of the Catch Civil Society, was arrested on Monday in a widespread attempt by the Pakistani state to silence dissatisfaction in Balochistan. According to the Balochistan post, Dust was taken from his house in Turbat during a late night raid by the Department of Terrorism (CTD) and later the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) says that “false and politically motivated” were accused. This has demanded his immediate release.The friend was arrested on Monday morning during a CTD raid at his residence in Turbut. He was then brought before a court and accused, although the exact nature of the allegations has not been publicly widely detailed. The Baloch Yakjehhati Committee, which advocated human rights in Balochistan, has said that the allegations are baseless. In a post on X, byc described Dost as a peaceful citizen, who has always spoken to forcibly disappearing individuals and victims of extraordinary murders. “His only ‘crime’ stands with oppressed,” said byc. “The state cannot tolerate it.” The committee also criticized CTD, called it a tool of the state repression used to target ground level workers. This accused the officials of carrying out illegal raids, filing fake cases and using forced disappearance to suppress political voices. Byc has demanded an unconditional release of Dost and warned that continuous targeting of workers will only increase resistance in the area. “If the state feels that it can target political activists and create silence in Balochistan, it is seriously wrong,” the group said.The arrest is part of the fact that rights groups say that there is an increasing pattern of threats against Baloch workers. Just two days ago, at least five people were allegedly disappeared by Pakistani security forces during a range of raids in Ketch and Gwadar districts of Balochistan. Following the report of young Baloch activist Zeeshan Ahmed by military personnel, a wave of anger has been washed away in the troubled Balochistan province of Pakistan. Zeeshan was actively campaigning for a safe return to his father, Zaheer Ahmed, forcibly disappeared by Frontier Corps in 2015.