Baloch protesters seize insurgents' bodies in Quetta

Baloch protesters created chaos in Quetta, Pakistan, by storming the civil hospital. They took the bodies of slain members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who had recently hijacked the Jaffar Express train. Protesters linked to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) forcibly entered the hospital, claiming at least five bodies from the morgue. Videos shared online showed groups of men and women outside the hospital preparing the bodies for burial, which they say were denied to them by the government. Before this incident, police attempted to break up a peaceful gathering outside the hospital using batons. Eyewitnesses reported injuries among the crowd, including women and children, who were there to identify the bodies of their loved ones. Tensions escalated after it was revealed that 13 unidentified bodies had been buried in secret at a local graveyard. The swift burial by authorities raised fears among families that their missing relatives could be among the dead. In response to the protests, some families were eventually allowed into the hospital to identify the bodies of their relatives. Pakistani forces had brought 23 unidentified bodies to the hospital last week. Earlier this month, the BLA hijacked the Jaffar Express, taking hostages and demanding the release of activists they claimed were forcibly disappeared. The Pakistani military launched an operation to rescue the hostages, leading to the deaths of 23 passengers and 33 rebels during the conflict.