Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province witnessed a troubling escalation when police cracked down on a gathering of government staff in Quetta, sparking denunciation from the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC). The Tuesday arrests of teachers and experts protesting pay disparities have been decried as a grave injustice.
Led by the Balochistan Grand Alliance, demonstrators sought to protest near the fortified Red Zone but were rerouted by overnight blockades. At the Press Club, swift police action led to mass detentions, with viral clips showing a professor roughly handled and dragged – fueling BSAC’s blistering response.
‘It’s reprehensible that public servants drag a professor on streets; this shames the entire teaching community and belies government reform talk,’ BSAC asserted. They portrayed the province as one where legitimate protests invite undue punishment for imagined crimes.
Demanding transparency, BSAC pressed for high-level probes and tough action against rogue officers, condemning all forms of violence. Internet suspensions blanketed Quetta, hindering the influx of provincial workers who defied container barriers.
The Grand Alliance retaliated by calling for a ‘Jail Bharo’ movement, amid a wave of employee actions that have human rights advocates spotlighting Pakistan’s repressive tactics. Long-standing issues like allowance disparities expose governance cracks, potentially stoking separatist fires if unaddressed through negotiation rather than force.