Police in Islamabad on Sunday blocked Baloch protesters from reaching the National Press Club, as a sit-in by families of forcibly disappeared persons and detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders entered its fifth day.
According to reports, the families attempted to march towards the press club, but police had sealed the roads with barricades. Denied access, the demonstrators resumed their sit-in on the road, continuing their protest under harsh weather conditions.
The protesters, including women, children, and the elderly, questioned “whether it is a crime to come from Balochistan to Islamabad and protest peacefully,” adding that authorities had refused to allow even basic shelters. They said that over the past five days, they had endured heavy rain and scorching sun without tents or shaded areas.
According to the family of BYC leader Dr Mahrang Baloch, police officers attempted to obstruct their peaceful protest and treated them “like criminals and enemies.”
In a statement issued on X, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee said police had used a series of “repressive tactics,” including sealing roads, denying tents or shade in extreme weather, and deploying a police bus that raised fears of forced eviction.
“This is not only a denial of the right to peaceful assembly, but a clear attempt to suppress and erase the voices of those demanding justice,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, late on Sunday night, rights advocate Imaan Mazari said that Baloch mothers and daughters were forcibly evicted from a flat in Islamabad after the local police station house officer (SHO) of Sabzi Mandi allegedly pressured the landlord. She said the water supply to the flat had been cut off earlier in the day, and the women were forced to vacate the premises around midnight.
Mazari described the incident as part of a broader campaign of intimidation. “The state is sending a message to Balochistan which is extremely dangerous for the future of this country,” she said.