Caretaker government in Pakistan releases additional 34 Baloch protesters

In a recent development reported by Geo News, the caretaker government of Pakistan has released an additional 34 Baloch protesters who were apprehended during a recent police crackdown in the federal capital. The release comes following the fulfillment of legal requirements, according to an official declaration.

The decision to release the detained protesters was made on the recommendation of a negotiation committee established by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. The committee, led by caretaker privatization minister Fawad Hasan Fawad, engaged in talks with the Baloch protesters.

The protestors, who had initially demanded the immediate release of the arrested individuals, had been demonstrating against what they deemed as the "extra-judicial killing" of a Baloch youth by officials of the Counter-Terrorism Department in Turbat earlier in the month, as per Geo News.

After the first round of negotiations, the government had previously ordered the release of protesting women who were taken into custody during the initial police crackdown. The Baloch demonstrators, initiating their protest on December 6 and reaching Islamabad on December 20, faced a subsequent crackdown upon reaching the capital. Law enforcement dismantled their camps outside the National Press Club, leading to widespread arrests and sparking national outrage.

The government, in defense of its actions, labeled the crackdown as a necessary measure to prevent a potential "catastrophe." Nevertheless, the police action drew strong condemnation from human rights organizations, politicians, and analysts, as reported by Geo News.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a key organizer of the protest march in Islamabad, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Pakistani government on Thursday. The ultimatum demanded the fulfillment of several key demands, including the cessation of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The committee urged the government to sign an agreement, facilitated by the Working Group, for the eradication of such practices.

Among other demands were the release of all victims of enforced disappearances, restrictions on the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and the dismantling of "state-sponsored death squads." The Ministry of Interior was called upon to acknowledge the alleged deaths of disappeared persons in fake encounters, accompanied by an acknowledgment letter and a press conference naming all victims.

Baloch activists emphasized the necessity for the state to demonstrate a genuine commitment to ending human rights violations and illegal measures in Balochistan, asserting that such actions were imperative for resolving the perceived "Baloch genocide."

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