“Allow the protest to unfold,” cautions IHC to the police, advising against impeding the Baloch marchers.
“Allow the protest to unfold,” cautions IHC to the police, advising against impeding the Baloch marchers.
On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) instructed the city police to permit the Baloch demonstrators to exercise their constitutional right to protest, cautioning against any interference with the marchers. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq emphasized that those who have come to protest should be allowed to do so, asserting their fundamental constitutional right. The directive came during a hearing on a plea challenging the arrest of Baloch protesters earlier in the day.
Authorities had detained participants of the long march, organized in Islamabad to raise awareness about the enforced disappearances of Baloch missing persons. The march, originating in Turbat, was en route to the Islamabad Press Club when the police intervened late Wednesday night.
An advance team from the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC) had arrived in Islamabad via the Motorway, but the police intercepted them at Chungi No. 26 and blocked major roads, including Kashmir Avenue, leading to the Red Zone.
Wednesday evening saw two unanticipated arrivals of BYC groups, but authorities swiftly deployed police to impede the gathering as their motorcade approached Chungi No. 26, according to police sources. Approximately 50 protesters from one group joined the BYC demonstrators already assembled in front of the National Press Club, while the remaining protesters, arriving by buses, were halted at Chungi No. 26.
Police sources revealed that law enforcement agencies were actively working to clear the obstructed roads by directing protesters away from the main road.
In the legal proceedings, human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari represented the protesters, acting on behalf of long march organizers Sami Baloch and Abdul Salam.
In the hearing, Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Akbar Nasir Khan appeared before the court after being summoned by the Chief Justice earlier in the day.
He informed the court that the protesters wielded clubs and threw stones, causing injuries to some individuals. The IG also mentioned that the government had established a committee to address the protesters’ grievances.
In response, CJ Farooq clarified that the court did not have information about the committee. Instead, he inquired about the status of the 86 marchers named in the petition who were arrested during the protest.
The IG stated that there was no available detail about the listed individuals. He further explained that all those named in the FIR registered at Tarnol Police Station had been released, while those arrested in the FIR at Kohsar Police Station had been presented before the magistrate. “Some have been discharged, some have been remanded into judicial custody, and some have been kept for identity parade,” he added.
The IHC CJ then cautioned the IG against any of his officers obstructing the protests. Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing and requested a report on the number of people detained, remanded in judicial custody, and released by tomorrow (December 22).
Earlier in the hearing, petitioner’s counsel Mazari informed the court that force and baton charges were used against the protesters, including women and children who were illegally detained despite being peaceful demonstrators.
To address the concerns of the protesters in the capital city, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has established a five-member committee led by Fawad Hasan Fawad, the caretaker federal minister for privatization, according to sources from Geo News.
The committee includes federal ministers Jamal Shah, Murtaza Solangi, Khalil George, and Aneeq Ahmed, as per the sources.
PM Kakar has directed the committee members to engage with the protesters and understand their issues. He has also emphasized that individuals who do not seriously violate the law will be considered for release.
In response to the use of force against the protesters, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan strongly condemned the violent police crackdown on Baloch demonstrators in Islamabad earlier in the day. The commission expressed dismay at the unwarranted use of force, including water cannons and batons, against women, children, and the elderly. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the HRCP highlighted the reported arrests of numerous women protesters, who were allegedly separated from their male relatives and allies.
