Baloch rights group leader Mahrang Baloch sent to jail

Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the central organizer of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has been detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) for one month and transferred to Quetta jail alongside four other women.

Known for her advocacy for the ethnic Baloch community, Dr. Baloch has long highlighted issues such as extrajudicial harassment, arrests, and killings faced by the community.

The BYC said that her arrest occurred during a province-wide wheel-jam strike, which followed an alleged police attack on a protest in Quetta that resulted in three fatalities on Friday evening.

According to the BYC, Dr. Baloch and other supporters initiated a sit-in with the bodies of the deceased, leading to their detention during what the group described as a “brutal pre-dawn crackdown by state security forces.”

The confrontation reportedly left three protesters dead, with both sides attributing blame to the other, according to a provincial government spokesperson.

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This incident follows a dramatic train siege earlier in the month, which officials claim led to around 60 deaths, half of whom were separatists involved in the attack.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the train assault. The group has accused external entities of exploiting the province’s resources.