GWADAR: Leaders and workers from different political parties, along with civil society members, staged a rally in Turbat town on Monday against the worsening law-and-order situation and the recent rise in kidnapping-for-ransom incidents in Kech district.
The rally was organised by All Parties Kech in collaboration with traders, the Doctors Association and civil society.
Marchers moved through main roads and streets of the district headquarters of Kech district, starting from Officer Bazaar, passing through various routes, reaching the Press Club and then proceeding to Shaheed Fida Chowk, where the march turned into a protest.
“The protection of citizens is the responsibility of the state and its institutions,” National Party President Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said while describing the situation in Kech as “alarming”.
Political leaders warn of district-wide strike
Demonstrators demanded the recovery of two recently abducted youths, Haseeb Haji Yaseen and Shah Nawaz Gul Jan, and called on state institutions to protect citizens.
Mr Malik, while demanding the recovery, warned that attempts were once again being made to push Kech toward instability, but said the people of Kech would resist such efforts.
He urged the district administration to provide protection to citizens and said that for the past month, affected families and political leaders had approached relevant institutions, but each continued to shift responsibility to others.
All Parties Kech Convener Nawab Khan Shambezai announced that a district-wide strike would be observed on Jan 7 if the two youths did not return.
The Kech Bar Association boycotted court proceedings in solidarity with the families of the abducted.
Advocate Syed Majeed Shah, the association’s president, condemned the kidnappings.
Business activities and daily life have been severely disrupted by the recent wave of crime, according to local leaders.
Mir Ghafoor Ahmed Bizenjo, a former minister, said that citizens were “living under a sense of fear” and called on the state to ensure public safety.
Human rights defenders and other speakers at the rally said the insecurity affects the entire Makran region, demanding an end to the kidnappings that have particularly targeted the business community.
