Pak security agencies conduct raids on houses of Baloch activists

Apr 20, 2024

Karachi [Pakistan], April 20 : Personnel of Pakistani law enforcement agencies conducted house raids on the activists of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Karachi, the capital city of Sindh province in Pakistan, The Balochistan Post reported.
According to The Balochistan Post, which reported citing the on-ground reports, "a large number of Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies surrounded the areas of Jalal Murad in Karachi's Malir. They raided several houses, including the houses of BYC activists, and opened indiscriminate fire".
Speaking over the raids, the spokesperson of the BYC stated that "the oppression by the state has always been used to suppress the Baloch people, and the brutal behaviour of security forces towards the Baloch in Karachi is a continuation of this policy of genocide. The state and its enforcing agencies are resorting to violence against Baloch people under the guise of security, making them targets of brutality. From Liyari to Kech to Koh-e-Suleman, the Baloch nation is facing the worst form of state aggression. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has decided to resist all forms of oppressive state policies and will intensify public resistance against every incident of state oppression, including those in Malir".
According to the reports, several men, women, and children were injured in these raids in which police, rangers, and intelligence agency personnel were involved.
Condemning, the actions of Pakistan's law enforcement agencies, the Karachi chapter of the BYC took the matter to X stating, "If any of us, including our members, have committed any crime, an FIR should be submitted, but this kind of behaviour is intolerable. If there is any kind of loss to any Baloch in Karachi, we will also announce our plan of action".
https://twitter.com/BYCKarachi/status/1781632699112755599
A female leader of BYC in her statement given at the press club Karachi stated "We will block roads and protest in front of the governor's house and the CM house. We will make sure that our voices are heard, and we will go to court if need be, although we know that the courts have never given justice to us Baloch. But we will still maintain the law. Such acts of violence and torture cannot break our spirits"

On the other hand, Baloch leader Mahrang Baloch also stated that "Karachi Police and Rangers raided the homes of Baloch Solidarity Committee (Karachi) workers in Malir and violence against women is a continuation of the aggressive state policy, human rights organizations take note of the state crackdown on the peaceful movement against the Baloch genocide. #MarchAgainstBalochGenocide #StopBalochGenocide"
https://twitter.com/MahrangBaloch_/status/1781416756067598526 )
Another leader present at the Karachi Press Club stated that "the acts of Pakistani Law Enforcement agencies are truly shameful and cannot be tolerated. As neither the law nor humanity permits any such actions. But we all know that Pakistani agencies have been committing such crimes repeatedly". Notably, these attacks and raids on the residences of Baloch activists happened on the sidelines of the recent attacks on Japanese individuals in a suicide blast in the same city.