A protest sit-in by Baloch families demanding an end to enforced disappearances, the recovery of missing persons, and the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders entered its 51st day in Islamabad on Thursday, with participants staging a rally despite heavy rain.
Women, children, the elderly, students and members of civil society marched peacefully through the streets. They carried placards demanding the release of political leaders detained in Balochistan, the withdrawal of politically motivated cases, and the recovery of those subjected to enforced disappearance.
“For more than seven weeks we have endured rain, sun, heat, threats and harassment while raising our voices for our loved ones,” family members said at the gathering. “Instead of considering our demands, state institutions have even denied us access to the National Press Club.”
They added: “Enduring 51 days of constant torment is not a small matter. Standing on the streets with pictures of our loved ones, feeling every moment that we are being treated as strangers, is an unending agony. But we cannot remain silent.”
A student participating in the rally said, “Hundreds of police officers and plainclothes personnel come only to intimidate us, but our courage will not break. With each passing day, our struggle grows stronger. Every Baloch daughter will become a Mahrang for her nation.”
Members of civil society criticized the government and mainstream media for ignoring the sit-in. “Even after more than fifty days, neither the government has paid attention to the demands nor has the mainstream media given coverage. This silence and indifference have deepened the wounds of the protesters,” they said.
The families appealed to Islamabad’s civil society and wider sections of the public to stand with them in their struggle. “From the elderly mother to the youngest child, every voice carries the message that without justice, the suffering of the Baloch people will not end,” they said.
In a statement, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) condemned what it called the “illegal detention” of its leadership. It said Dr Mahrang Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Beebarg Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch and Beebow Baloch had been held for more than five months on “fabricated charges.”
“They are not criminals. They are human rights defenders and political voices who dared to speak against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and ongoing repression in Balochistan,” the BYC said. “The state’s fabricated FIRs and repeated remands are nothing but instruments of intimidation deployed to crush political resistance.”
The group said its legal team had challenged the cases in a constitutional petition, arguing the charges were politically motivated and violated judicial principles meant to prevent multiple unlawful arrests. It added that attempts to transfer detainees outside Quetta posed a direct threat to their safety.
According to the BYC, the Balochistan High Court has issued notices to the authorities and restrained them from shifting the leaders outside Quetta district or Balochistan until the next hearing.
“This is a welcome development,” the group said. “But our struggle does not end here. The continued detention of our activists is a direct attack on the democratic and political rights of the Baloch nation. We will not retreat. We will resist on every front — politically, legally and through the people’s struggle — until every false case is quashed and every detained activist walks free.”