Strike erupts in Balochistan after violent clash between police, BYC protesters; leader Mahrang arrested

Karachi: A shutter-down and wheel jam strike was observed in many parts of Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Saturday after violence broke out between police and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s (BYC) a day earlier.

Many parts of the province including the capital city Quetta remained closed on the call of the BYC’s leader Mahrang Baloch, who was arrested on Saturday from a sit-in with some other workers and activists.

The strike call came after the BYC claimed a police crackdown on a peaceful sit-in near Balochistan University on Sariab Road in Quetta on Friday, which was held as a protest against alleged enforced disappearances in the province.

The government denied the claim, stating that protesters resorted to violence.

Mahrang claimed in a statement on social media on Friday night that three BYC activists were killed and 13 others including women injured due to the alleged police brutality.

In her statement on X, Mahrang said they were shutting down the entire province against the state violence.

In a counter statement, spokesperson for the government Shahid Rind said the protesters had resorted to violence and injured 10 police personnel including a woman constable.

Videos released by BYC on social media showed police using tear gas and a water cannon and also firing blank shots to disperse the BYC protesters who had staged the sit-in.

Early Saturday morning, Mahrang and other activists gathered for a sit-in on the Sariab Road with the bodies of alleged casualties from the previous day. The BYC later claimed that arrests were made and the bodies were seized from this location.

Mobile services have been suspended in Quetta since Friday night and data services are also down.

In the Malikabad area of Turbat, unidentified men on motorcycles fired gunshots at the protesters, who were monitoring the strike, injuring two children. They were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.