Baloch protesters end Islamabad sit-in after 30 days

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has decided to call off its protest sit-in, which was started last month outside the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad over "enforced disappearances."

The Baloch protesters had been demonstrating in the capital since December 20, 2023, highlighting issues of “enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.”

Dr. Mahrang Baloch, an activist and one of the protest organisers, stated that they are now returning to Balochistan from Islamabad. 

“We will hold a rally in Balochistan on January 27,” she added.

This decision follows a complaint lodged by NPC Islamabad with the Kohsar Police Station, requesting the removal of Baloch protesters from the open park in front of the NPC. 

The club's administration cited security threats and financial losses due to the prolonged sit-in, impacting the holding of press conferences and other functions.

The NPC administration said that the protesters' sit-in had been going on for over two months, causing financial loss as the people belonging to political and social sectors, avoided holding press conferences and other political and social functions at the NPC.

Last month, Islamabad police conducted a crackdown on Baloch protesters, dismantling their camps outside the National Press Club. 

The move led to widespread public outcry, prompting the government to release the detained Baloch protesters after a week-long detention, initially defending the crackdown as a necessary measure to prevent a potential "catastrophe."