 "Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party during a rally, in Islamabad on April 4 FILE PHOTO: REUTERS")
Protests were held in Turbat and the provincial capital Quetta in Balochistan against the alleged "fake encounter" of Baloch missing persons by the Pakistani security forces in Ziarat, media reports said.
The families of the victims staged a three-day sit-in protest in front of the Governor's house in Quetta and warned that if the culprits of the Ziarat incident are not brought to justice, the protests will be expanded throughout the province indefinitely, Balochistan Post reported.
Hundreds marched in Turbat carrying placards and banners, demanding justice for the victims of the alleged fake encounter.
The BNP-Mengal also carried out a protest in Dalbandin, Dera Allah Yaar, Chaghi, Noshki, Turbat and Jafarabad against the Ziarat incident.
Activists on social media condemned the fake encounter and campaigned for the perpetrators to be given the comeuppance. The hashtag #StopBalochGenocide trended on Twitter in Pakistan for hours, Balochistan Post reported.
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The families of the victims were also joined by activists from the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, the National Democratic Party and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.
The protesters claimed that the nine men killed in the Ziarat incident were Baloch missing persons who were picked up by the Pakistani security forces. The protesters said the victims were killed in a fake encounter by the Pakistani security forces and demanded that the culprits be brought to justice.
The families had lodged FIRs against their "enforced disappearance", entered their names in the missing persons' list and filed applications against their "abduction" in the missing persons' commission of Pakistan.
Furthermore, the families also visited the missing persons' camp in Quetta and participated in demonstrations, asking for the safe recovery of their loved ones.
The Home Minister of Balochistan, Zia Langove, also confirmed that five men had their names on the missing persons' list, Balochistan Post reported.
--IANS
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