Quetta, 19 April 2023. In its fact-finding report titled Balochistan’s Struggle for Hope launched in Quetta today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed deep concern about the mounting public frustration in Balochistan over enforced disappearances, economic exclusion, curbs on press freedom, misgovernance, and allegations of political manipulation by the establishment. Based on an HRCP fact-finding mission conducted in October 2022, the report documents a palpable sense of anger among ordinary citizens, many of whom referred to Balochistan as a ‘colony’ of the state.
The report consists of interviews with a wide range of civil society members, including human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and members of the fisherfolk community, as well as political leaders and members of the administration in Gwadar, Turbat, Panjgur, and Quetta.
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