QUETTA: Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which advocates for rights of ethnic Baloch people, on Saturday accused Pakistani authorities of suspending Internet and arresting dozens of its members in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a day before a protest in the port city of Gwadar.
Led by 31-year-old human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the BYC summoned the ‘Baloch Raji Muchi,’ or Baloch National Gathering, in Gwadar this month to rally the masses against alleged human rights abuses and heavy deployment of security forces in the southwestern Pakistani province.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a low-level insurgency for the last two decades by separatists, who say they are fighting what they see as unfair exploitation of the province’s wealth by the federation. The Pakistani state denies the allegation.
Through social media platforms, the BYC has been mobilizing and inviting people from across Balochistan for the gathering, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday at the Gwadar Marine Drive, an important thoroughfare in the coastal city.
“The authorities have started blocking highways in Balochistan in a bid to intercept convoys of Baloch people coming to attend Baloch Raji Muchi in Gwadar and police have arrested more than 100 BYC members from various districts of Balochistan,” Baloch told Arab News.
“There has been a complete blackout of Internet in Gwadar and Kech districts since Friday evening and mobile service is likely to be suspended today. We are concerned that the government will intensify crackdown against BYC members as they have already registered four FIRs (first information reports) against our members in the Kalat and Hub districts.”
Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, denied allegations of a crackdown on the BYC and Internet suspension in Gwadar.
“The Balochistan chief minister has clearly said on the floor of the provincial assembly, the constitution of Pakistan gives people the right to a peaceful gathering, but the government has the right to decide the venue for it,” he told Arab News. “No one will be allowed to hold such gatherings based on their own will.”
Arab News spoke to a number of people in Gwadar and Turbat districts, who said mobile Internet had been suspended in both districts since Friday evening.
Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), under which Beijing has funnelled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
But the undertaking has been hit by Islamabad struggling to keep up its financial obligations as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants in Balochistan, Pakistan’s most impoverished province, and elsewhere in the country.

In the provincial capital of Quetta, authorities have blocked all entry and exit points and imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a provision that allows the administration to prohibit assembly of four or more people.
Saad bin Asad, the Quetta deputy commissioner, said they had blocked the Luk-Pass tunnel, a key point on the Quetta-Karachi highway, to prevent people from violating Section 144 ahead of Sunday’s gathering. “At least 140 people have been arrested from different sites of Quetta and we would share the details of the detained people,” he told Arab News.
The administration’s move came after the Balochistan government described the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar as a “conspiracy” against the second phase of CPEC in Pakistan that has witnessed a “hiatus” following the killing of five Chinese engineers in a suicide attack in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in March.
On Friday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti questioned the protesters’ choice of Gwadar as the venue of the rally amid Pakistan’s security assurances to the Chinese.
“Why Gwadar and why not Quetta,” Bugti questioned, during a provincial assembly session. “They planned to hold this gathering in Gwadar where we have frequent international movements and we have invited Chinese officials for the inauguration of Gwadar International Airport next month.”
Bugti informed the lawmakers that there were intelligence reports about “serious threats” of attacks on the gathering in Gwadar by a Baloch separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), to malign the government and the state institutions.

“Despite talks with BYC members to shift the venue for this gathering, but if they are adamant, the government will take action against people challenging the writ of the state,” he added.
Sammi Deen Baloch, one of the organizers of Sunday’s gathering, said Gwadar is part of Balochistan and the port city has international significance.
“We have had held many gatherings in Quetta, Turbat and other cities of Balochistan, so why not Gwadar, where local Baloch people are deprived of basic facilities,” she said.
Responding to the government reports of threats to the gathering, Sammi said the state had power and resources, hence the state should protect the people coming to attend a peaceful gathering.
“If the state doesn’t stop Baloch people from coming to Gwadar, we have high expectations that thousands of people would attend this Baloch National Gathering,” she told Arab News.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday warned of flash floods and landslides as monsoon currents were likely to penetrate upper parts of the country over the next five days.
The monsoon currents from Arabian Sea may cause heavy rains from July 27 till July 31. Under the influence of this system, rainfall could trigger landslides, mudslides and cause boulders to fall, potentially disrupting roads, according to the NDMA.
The areas that are likely to be affected include upper parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Galiyat, Murree, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. The rainfall can trigger hill torrents in Sulaiman and Kirthar mountain ranges as well as in DG Khan and Rajanpur regions.
“Flash floods can strike suddenly, catching people off guard,” the NDMA said in a statement. “Population at risk is advised to avoid flood waters and find a safe location away from flood-prone areas.”
The authority said it had issued instructions to all relevant departments to take necessary precautions to mitigate the possible effects of flooding and extreme weather.
“Even a mere six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet, and just one foot of moving water can sweep away a vehicle,” the NDMA noted in its advisory for the masses.
“Bridges can be hazardous during floods. Avoid crossing them if water is flowing rapidly. Avoid staying in weak structures. In case of intense rain, seek shelter in safe places such as schools, government buildings, or any concrete buildings.”
Pakistan is recognized as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change effects in the world. This year, the South Asian country recorded its “wettest April since 1961,” with 59.3 millimeters rainfall and at least 144 deaths in thunderstorms and house collapses, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the authorities.
Last month, a UN official warned that an estimated 200,000 people in Pakistan could be affected by the upcoming monsoon season, which is expected to bring heavier rains than usual.
The United Nations, with help from local authorities, has prepared a contingency plan, with $40 million set aside to respond to any emergencies, said Mohamed Yahya, the newly appointed Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.
Unusually heavy rains in June 2022 triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.