Sammi and four other people were held under MPO in Karachi for a month

Following the group’s demonstration in Karachi, the Sindh government on Tuesday placed Sammi Deen Baloch, the leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and four other individuals under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) for 30 days.

Sammi and a number of other people were arrested by Karachi police on Monday for breaking Section 144. They also used force to disperse the BYC’s demonstration over the recent arrests of its leaders and the suppression of its Quetta sit-in.

One day after claiming that three protesters had died as a result of police action, the BYC announced a protest at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) against the “illegal detention” of its key leaders, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, who was arrested on Saturday along with 16 other activists from their protest camp in Quetta.

Sammi and five other detained activists were charged by Karachi’s Artillery Maidan police with breaking Section 144 by disobeying a properly issued order, which is covered under Section 188.

The Sindh inspector general of police (IGP) requested a 30-day detention time for Sammi, Razzak Ali, Abdul Wahab Baloch, Shehdad, and Sultan in accordance with an order issued by the Sindh government’s home department on Tuesday, a copy of which is accessible on Dawn.com.

“Inciting [the] public to block roads and organize sit-ins in Karachi, which may disturb peace and tranquility and can create serious law and order problems,” the order said of the five.

The presence of the five individuals “is likely to pose grave threat to the public safety and can cause breach of peace and tranquility,” the statement continued.

The Sindh government “has sufficient reasons to believe that the five people [should] be arrested and detained for a period of 30 days from the date of arrest,” the ruling added.

The order stated that the senior superintendent of Central Prison Karachi will be in charge of their confinement.

MPO will be contested tomorrow, according to Sammi’s attorney:

Jibran Nasir, Sammi’s attorney, announced on Tuesday afternoon that she had been placed under the MPO in Central Jail and will remain there for 30 days.

In a post on X, Jibran stated, “The learned judicial magistrate discharged all five accused in the FIR registered yesterday.”

The cops immediately began waving the MPO order after the suspects were released and discharged. The whereabouts of four other people—Lala Wahab, Raziq, Sultan, and Shahdad—are unknown, he claimed, notwithstanding Sammi’s voluntary surrender and detention.

Jibran went on to say that tomorrow he would be going to the Sindh High Court to challenge the MPO.

The other demonstrators who were taken into custody on Monday were Sultan Hamal, Abdul Wahab, Mustafa Ali, Shahzad Rab, and Hamza Iftikhar.

About 35–40 men and women showed up at Fawara Chowk and tried to enter the Red Zone, according to the FIR filed in response to a police officer’s complaint. The demonstrators allegedly forced their way into the sensitive location despite the police’s best efforts to stop them, according to the complainant.

Sammi, Abdul Wahab, and four other designated individuals were taken into custody by the police, while others escaped.

The commissioner enforced Section 144 prior to the demonstration, and temporary barricades were used to block all roads leading to the Karachi Press Club, the protest’s location.

Many people were observed breaking their fast on the road as a result of the severe traffic jams that occurred in the city center, leaving residents stranded for hours.

Rebuttals to protests:

However, there were two distinct counter-protests in the surrounding region, where people screamed slogans and brandished placards criticizing the BYC and the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Notwithstanding the implementation of Section 144, it remained unclear under what circumstances the counter-protests were planned.

One such demonstration took place outside the KPC, when protesters held signs that said, “a link to RAW: BLA and BYC,” a reference to India’s Research and Analysis Wing, an intelligence organization.

At a gas station close to Zainab Market, more people had gathered, and one of the signs read, “two sides of the same coin — BLA and BYC.”

The Pakistan Ulema Council was identified as the organizer on a few placards held by demonstrators near the Fawara Chowk.

To express support for the military, another protest was also staged next to Zainab Market. Videos from the demonstration showed demonstrators yelling anti-BLA and anti-BYC leadership shouts.

At Fawara Chowk, some individuals were planning a counter-protest; they were scattered, according to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza, who spoke to Dawn.com. In view of Commissioner Karachi’s notification, no one is permitted to plan public demonstrations or gatherings.