Quetta, May 31 (IANS) Residents of Mashkay in the Awaran district of Pakistan's Balochistan are facing shortages of food and essential supplies as curfew and movement restrictions imposed by Pakistani forces continue for a second week, local media reported.

Movement in Mashkay has been restricted, creating shortages of food and essential supplies for residents. People said the prolonged restrictions have made it difficult for ill people to access hospitals or receive medical treatment, The Balochistan Post reported.

Locals said that the curfew has severely affected daily life and increased problems for people in Mashkay. Authorities have not yet released an official statement about the reported restrictions or the reasons for enforcing the curfew.

In recent months, similar restrictions and lockdown measures have been reported in regions, including Noshki and Zehri, where residents previously said that they were facing restrictions on movement, trade and accessing healthcare, The Balochistan Post reported.

Meanwhile, human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Saturday strongly condemned the ongoing curfew in the Mashkay, alleging that it forms part of a wider effort "to paralyse public life".

According to the BYC, the restrictions have disrupted daily lives, confining people to their homes while denying basic freedom of movement, resulting in significant hardships for the public.

"Even on the occasion of Eid, the people of Mashkai were not permitted to purchase sacrificial animals, clearly reflecting that restrictions are being imposed not only on people's daily lives but also on their religious and social activities. Measures of this nature are continuously plunging the public into a state of fear and uncertainty," the BYC stated.

Calling the denial of access to basic facilities, including health and education, a serious "human rights violation", the BYC said that it represented "the worst example of state oppression".

"The closure of schools is affecting students' education. Similarly, patients and their families in hospitals are repeatedly facing harassment and difficulties from the forces, as a result of which patients are suffering from both physical pain and mental stress," it noted.

The BYC called on the international human rights organisations to immediately take notice of the ongoing curfew in Mashkai and other areas of Balochistan, raise their voices for the protection of the public's fundamental human rights, and play an effective role in opposing such measures.

--IANS

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