Islamabad: The sit-in organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Islamabad demanding the recovery of forcibly disappeared persons has entered its 20th day. However, protesters continue to face harassment, ridicule and indifference from authorities. According to the demonstrators, Islamabad’s administration has erected only bureaucratic hurdles instead of engaging in any meaningful dialogue.
On Monday, a delegation led by Assistant Commissioner Maheen Hassan visited the sit-in participants. Protesters stated that the officials suggested moving the sit-in to the Press Club, but the AC claimed protests are prohibited there.
The Protesters expressed astonishment, saying, “It is shocking that the place designated for freedom of expression and peaceful protest is being denied to us.”
The administration reportedly instructed the demonstrators to move to Sangjani, a remote area on the outskirts of Islamabad known for hosting the city’s livestock market, if they wished to continue their protest.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee condemned this directive, calling it an attempt to silence and sideline their demands. “If no one is willing to listen to us in the heart of the capital, who will hear us in a place like Sangjani?” they asked.
They added that Islamabad appears to have no space left for Baloch mothers and sisters and that the government’s behavior only adds salt to the wounds of the Baloch people.
It is worth noting that the protesters’ primary demand remains the recovery of forcibly disappeared individuals or, if allegations exist, that they be produced in a court of law.
