In a fierce protest against the extrajudicial killing of Bashir Ahmed, Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan has announced a complete shutter-down strike across Gwadar district on November 27. This comes after Bashir Ahmed, a victim of forced disappearance, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Awaran on November 22, 2024.
Hafeez Kiyazai, the central organizer of Haq Do Tehreek, condemned the brutal killing during a press conference in Quetta. He called the act a blatant violation of human rights, describing it as unconstitutional and deeply inhumane. Kiyazai urged the people of Gwadar, including traders and business owners, to unite in the strike as a means to challenge the systemic atrocities committed by the Paki establishment against the Baloch people.
The backdrop of this protest follows the claims made by the Pakistan Army’s media wing, ISPR, on November 22, stating that four individuals, including Bashir Ahmed, were killed during military operations in Awaran, Kech, and Dera Bugti. According to ISPR, the victims died in clashes between security forces and insurgents, although no concrete evidence of their supposed involvement in militant activities has been provided.
Gwadar Strike
Bashir Ahmed, a son of Abdul Ghani, had been forcibly disappeared by Pak Army in May 2024 after being taken from Gwadar. In an official press conference, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials, along with the provincial Home Minister, Zia Lango, confirmed Ahmed’s arrest and accused him of links to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). However, despite the occupied-authority’s claims, it was later revealed that Ahmed’s death occurred under suspicious circumstances, and the occupied-authorities attempted to disguise it as a “staged encounter” while he was in their custody.
The forced disappearance and subsequent extrajudicial killing of Bashir Ahmed have sparked outrage among the Baloch community and human rights advocates. Haq Do Tehreek, a prominent political organization fighting for the rights of the Baloch people, has vowed to continue exposing these atrocities committed by the Pak military. Kiyazai emphasized that this case is just one example of the broader ongoing repression of Baloch political activists, whose demands for justice are met with Army violence.
The people of Gwadar and other Baloch regions continue to face a systematic campaign of forced disappearances, torture, and killings at the hands of the Pak military, aimed at suppressing the Baloch community.