Baloch families confront a crackdown in Islamabad as protests for missing persons reach the fourth day
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A peaceful sit-in protest in Islamabad, led by the families of Baloch missing persons and members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has entered its fourth day amid increasing state repression. Protesters, including women, children, and the elderly, continue to demand the immediate release of those who have been forcibly disappeared and the release of BYC’s detained leaders. Despite their peaceful stance, authorities have responded with a heavy crackdown, intensifying concerns over human rights violations.
On Saturday, as the protest reached its fourth day, Islamabad police took aggressive measures to obstruct the demonstration. All roads leading to the National Press Club, where the protest was scheduled to continue, were sealed off. Barbed wire was installed to block entry, and large police contingents prevented both pedestrians and vehicles from reaching the site. Authorities also refused to permit protesters to set up basic shelters, forcing them to endure harsh weather conditions without tents or shade.
Eyewitnesses and protest organizers condemned the authorities’ actions, highlighting the refusal to allow even minimal facilities for the demonstrators. Over the past four days, protesters have faced heavy rain and scorching sun, yet law enforcement has prevented them from establishing any protected space. BYC issued a strong statement condemning the blockade, calling it a calculated effort to silence Baloch voices and suppress their struggle for justice, which they described as unconstitutional and unjust.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed serious concern over the treatment of the protesters. In their statement, HRCP emphasized that the demonstrators traveled long distances from Balochistan to peacefully voice their demands. The organization condemned the denial of their constitutional right to assemble and called for the government to distinguish between peaceful activism and militant activities. HRCP stressed that women and children from Baloch communities deserve the same dignity and rights as all citizens.
Political voices have also condemned the government’s crackdown. Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan criticized the situation, likening it to martial law. He condemned the authorities’ actions, especially their threats to arrest protesters, including young Baloch girls, and called for an end to enforced disappearances and the immediate release of missing persons. Khan urged the government to listen to Balochistan’s cry for justice and to end the atrocities committed against the Baloch community.
Tensions reached a peak when police brought a bus near the protest site, fueling fears that protesters might be forcibly detained and transported back to Balochistan. Several demonstrators reported threats of arrest if they refused to leave voluntarily. Despite the clampdown, civil society activists, human rights defenders, and political workers showed solidarity by standing with the protesters throughout the day. The key demands remain the immediate release of BYC’s detained leaders, recovery of disappeared persons, and an end to enforced disappearances, though no official statement has yet been issued by authorities regarding the ongoing protests or the roadblocks.
