Syed Ali Shah:
Quetta — Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Monday announced the release of 50 teenagers under the age of 18 who were detained following protests on February 8, saying the provincial government does not want minors to be caught in prolonged legal processes.
Sharing the update on social media platform X, the chief minister said the underage boys were taken into custody for allegedly forcing traders and commuters to observe shutter-down and wheel-jam strikes in different parts of the province. He confirmed that all 50 minors had now been freed by his administration.
CM Bugti appealed to families to come forward if they believed any underage boy was still missing or remained in police custody. “If any family has concerns about a minor, they should immediately contact the Chief Minister’s Complaint Cell so the issue can be resolved without delay,” he said.
The arrests had sparked criticism from opposition parties, including Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aain Pakistan (TTAP), which strongly condemned the police action and described it as inhumane. Opposition leaders claimed the protests were peaceful, a claim rejected by the provincial government, which maintained that incidents of violence and damage to public property had occurred.
In a related development, six prisoners who had escaped from Mustang jail on January 31 voluntarily surrendered to the police, prison officials confirmed. Earlier, a total of 29 inmates had fled from Mustang jail and 35 from Noshki district jail following unrest at the facilities.
