The Baloch activists and heirs of missing persons, who had been protesting against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings outside Islamabad’s National Press Club (NPC) since December, ended their protest on Tuesday.
Earlier, the press club had written a letter to the Islamabad police demanding the authorities remove the protest camp. After facing severe criticism from all quarters, including journalists, the NPC retracted its request to the Islamabad police for the removal of the Baloch rights camp.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) had arranged this sit-in outside the NPC where the protesters were taking part in a demonstration, expressing their opposition towards enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Despite the extreme weather conditions, the protest continued. Additionally, those organizing the sit-in in Islamabad had alleged that the police had been targeting and profiling their supporters, as well as filing cases against them.
Mahrang Baloch, who had been leading the protest, announced the end to the sit-in and said that the protestors will return to Balochistan tomorrow. She added that the participants were being harassed and threatened, and the police were spreading false information to malign them. “We were also informed that there is a possible threat near the press club area,” she said.
