Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch, while addressing a massive public gathering, emphasised that a “revolution” was brewing in Balochistan, as reported by Dawn.
Mahrang, four days after wrapping up her protest camp in Islamabad, was addressing the gathering on Saturday.
In her address at the Shahwani Stadium in Quetta, she also called the ongoing movement against enforced disappearances and operations “a watershed moment.”
The gathering was attended by thousands, including women, political workers and students from different areas of the province, according to Dawn.
“Today, the participants have proved that they are with their mothers and sisters in their struggle for the recovery of their loved ones,” she said.
“We proudly hold our heads high because of you,” she further said, referring to the charged crowd.
Activist Mahrang added that the Baloch people have been raising their voices for the last 75 years against the “atrocities and injustices” committed by the state, Dawn reported.
She further criticised the Pakistan government and emphasised that those in power were “deaf and dumb” and did not listen to the people.
“They have weapons, but we have the courage to continue our struggle against the atrocities and injustices,” she said, vowing that the movement would continue and they would not abandon it.
She claimed the government used all its resources against the protestors, but they refused to budge from their demands. “As a daughter of Balochistan, I appeal to the people to continue this awami (public) movement as it is our mandate.”
While claiming that people across the province are supporting the movement, Baloch said it was not a sit-in or a traditional public meeting. Rather, it was “a voice of Baloch people from Nokundi to Parom and Koh-i-Suleman to Makran.”
She emphasised that Baloch are ideologues and that her movement has broken the decades-old shackles of fear imposed by the state, according to Dawn.
Today’s gathering carries “the fragrance of the revolution,” which was a “dream of the martyrs,” she stressed.
“The movement that originated in Turbat after the injustice done to Balaach and his family has now become the voice of all oppressed Baloch people,” Baloch said while referring to the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balach Maula Bakhsh by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in an encounter.
Moreover, she highlighted that her movement was “for the survival of Balochistan,” and she will continue to defend it, as reported by Dawn.
Mahrang then highlighted that during the protest in Islamabad, the elderly women only requested to present their loved ones before courts; however, the Pakistan constitution failed to deliver them justice.
“Our killers were made to sit in front of us in Islamabad,” she said, adding that the so-called rulers of Islamabad cannot provide justice to the Baloch people.
Mama Qadeer Baloch, a veteran campaigner for the recovery of missing persons, Sammi Deen Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahjee and others also addressed the event, which continued for several hours.
Earlier on Friday, Mahrang and other protesters were welcomed by a huge crowd of thousands of people in the Sariab area of Quetta upon their return from Islamabad.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)