QUETTA, Pakistan – In a sharp rebuke, the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) has fiercely condemned Pakistani police for their heavy-handed response to a peaceful demonstration by government employees in Balochistan. The incident unfolded in the provincial capital on Tuesday, where authorities arrested dozens of teachers, professors, and other professionals demanding the implementation of disparity reduction allowances.
The protest, led by the Balochistan Grand Alliance, aimed to stage a sit-in near the heavily secured Red Zone but was preemptively blocked. Police swooped in, detaining participants en masse. BSAC described the arrests as ‘deeply alarming,’ highlighting a particularly egregious act where officers were seen dragging a professor along the street – an image that has ignited widespread outrage.
‘Such despicable behavior by police, paid from public funds, dragging a professor on the road is a shameful assault on educators’ dignity,’ BSAC stated in a strongly worded release. The group accused the state of criminalizing peaceful dissent, noting that voicing legitimate grievances now invites severe repercussions for fabricated offenses.
BSAC pointed to the glaring hypocrisy: while the government touts promises of better governance, educational reforms, and transparent hiring, its treatment of teachers exposes the hollow rhetoric. The committee demanded an impartial probe into the crackdown and stern punishment for those responsible, while unequivocally denouncing any violence.
Adding to the tension, mobile internet services were suspended across Quetta and surrounding areas during the protest, disrupting communications and daily life. Employees from across Balochistan had converged on the city, only to find major routes barricaded with containers late Monday night. When they gathered outside the Quetta Press Club as an alternative, police swiftly moved in to disperse and arrest them.
In retaliation, the Balochistan Grand Alliance has announced a ‘Fill the Jails’ campaign. Ongoing protests by public sector workers underscore deep-seated grievances, drawing concern from human rights organizations over Pakistan’s alleged brutal tactics in Balochistan. This episode risks further inflaming separatist sentiments in the restive province, where demands for rights and resources have long simmered.