Baloch families marked the sixteenth day of their sit-in in Islamabad on Wednesday, demanding the release of jailed Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and an end to enforced disappearances.
The protest began on 16 July near the National Press Club. Authorities have blocked the road leading to the site, and police have not allowed tents, despite heavy rain and extreme heat.
Protesters said that, instead of addressing their demands, authorities have subjected them to daily surveillance and harassment. According to participants, unidentified individuals unaffiliated with any media outlet arrive at the protest site and record close-up videos of demonstrators, especially young Baloch students.
It is worth noting that a day earlier, police at the Secretariat Police Station in Islamabad detained more than a dozen Baloch students. Sources say the students were interrogated over alleged links to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Despite the pressure, families say they will not end their protest until authorities release the detained BYC leaders and address the ongoing crisis of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Protesters called on journalists, human rights organizations, and wider public to visit the protest site and express solidarity with the families.