Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch Announces Long March from Quetta to Islamabad on July 25, Demands Immediate Action on Balochistan’s Issues

Quetta:Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch, the Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan and a member of the Balochistan Assembly, has announced a long march from Quetta to Islamabad on July 25. He called on the people of Balochistan to join the march to make it a success, emphasizing that all the issues of the province are the responsibility of the rulers sitting in Islamabad.

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Sunday, Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman demanded the immediate recovery of all missing persons, the opening of borders with neighboring countries to allow trade, full representation of Balochistan in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the right to vote and participate in politics for the people of the province.

He was accompanied by party leaders, including Murtaza Kakr, Abdul Mateen Akhundzada, Zahid Akhtar Baloch, Bashir Mandai, Maulana Ata-ur-Rehman, Abdul Kabir Shakir, Arif Damar, Abdul Hamid Mansuri, Abdul Wali Shakir, Naeem Rand, Ejaz Mehboob, Jamil Meshwani, and others.

Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch stated that Balochistan has been a victim of severe injustice. He pointed out the recent brutal killing of a young boy, Masoor Kakr, and emphasized that the real funeral was not of the child but of the government itself. “For the past 70 years, the rulers of Islamabad have tried to silence the people of Balochistan with force instead of granting them their due rights,” he said. He further accused Islamabad of treating Balochistan like a colony, depriving its people of their rights, and resorting to forced disappearances of young people, while also disrespecting women and violating the sanctity of their homes.

He also criticized the federal government for closing the borders, which led to unemployment for over 2.5 million youth in the province. “The rulers in Islamabad call us smugglers, but we are not smugglers. We engage in trade, while it is these same rulers who have looted the country and accumulated properties abroad. We have no properties outside the country,” he said.

Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch further pointed out that the federal government has shown no concern for the issues faced by the people of Balochistan. He said, “They claim that CPEC exists because of Balochistan, but all the benefits of the CPEC project are going to Punjab, and Balochistan has not received a single development project.” He also criticized the Prime Minister for mocking the people of Balochistan by saying that instead of reducing fuel prices, the focus would be on constructing the Quetta-Karachi highway.

To address these long-standing issues, Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman announced the long march from Quetta to Islamabad on July 25 and urged the people of Balochistan to join the march for their rights. He demanded the immediate recovery of all missing persons, the opening of borders with neighboring countries to facilitate trade, full representation of Balochistan in CPEC, and the granting of political and voting rights to the people of Balochistan.

He concluded by saying, “The struggle for our rights is ongoing, and we call on the people to unite and stand up for the future of Balochistan.”