Balochistan [Pakistan], August 23 : The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has condemned the reported drone attack on civilian labourers in the Khandkocha area of Mastung's Geet Bagh, calling it an act of "state terrorism and brutality" against the Baloch people, in a press release.
According to the BYC, four labourers, Gul Khan Magasi, Imran Baloch, Ubaidullah Baloch and Jahangzeb Abro, were killed in the attack, while Ali Raza Mengal, Nasibullah Abro and Khalid Hussain sustained injuries.
The committee said the victims were ordinary workers employed in orchards to support their families and alleged that their deaths had left four families without their primary sources of livelihood and security.
The BYC said the incident came only days after an aerial attack in Sorab, which it claimed resulted in the deaths of children, women and other civilians. It alleged that the reported use of drones and other military means against civilian populations represented a serious escalation in what it described as state repression in Balochistan.
In its statement, the committee alleged that ordinary Baloch civilians were being increasingly exposed to military operations irrespective of their occupation or age. It claimed that labourers working for their livelihoods and children were both being placed at risk under what it described as an "indiscriminate" state policy.
The BYC further alleged that the incidents reflected a broader pattern of violence against Baloch communities and accused the authorities of targeting civilians on the basis of their Baloch identity. Calling the Mastung incident a further escalation of what it termed state brutality, the committee urged Baloch people to respond through collective mobilisation.
The BYC appealed to people across Balochistan to come out in large numbers against what it described as state violence, asserting that "national resistance" was the only way to challenge the alleged repression.