Islamabad, July 31 (IANS) The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Thursday accused the Pakistani authorities of “calculated state repression” against Baloch protesters who have been holding the sit-in outside the National Press Club in Islamabad for the last 16 days. The BYC said that daily surveillance and racial profiling of protesters continue and accused the intelligence personnel of regularly conducting filming of students and male protesters.
According to the BYC statement, the protesters have been demanding the release of detained BYC leaders and end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan. The BYC said that the road to the Press Club remains sealed and blocked with buses and barbed wire and accused the authorities of forcing elderly women and children to sit directly under the sun.
In a statement shared on X, BYC stated, “Day 16 — Islamabad Sit-In: For the 16th consecutive day, families of forcibly disappeared persons and detained leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) continue their peaceful protest outside the National Press Club, Islamabad. Their demands are clear: Release the detained BYC leaders and end enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Yet, instead of being heard, they are met with calculated state repression. The road to the Press Club remains sealed, blocked with buses and barbed wire—completely isolating the families from public visibility.”
“Despite the unbearable heat, the authorities continue to deny tents or shade, forcing elderly women and children to sit directly under the sun. Several have fainted due to heat exhaustion. Daily surveillance and racial profiling continue. Intelligence personnel arrive regularly filming students and male participants. Many of these intruders do not belong to any media outlet and engage in open harassment and intimidation. Families especially women are followed back to their residences, photographed, and monitored. Despite this: The protesting families remain resolute. Today, as the families continue their sit-in, we repeat our call: To all journalists, civil society, students, lawyers, and citizens of conscience. Show up. Stand with them. Break the silence. Raise your voice for them,” it added.
Meanwhile, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, on Wednesday, strongly condemned the cycle of persecution of Baloch people by the Pakistani forces amid the ongoing wave of enforced disappearances in the province.
Paank mentioned that an individual named Saddam Hussain Kurd was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces on the night of July 18–19 from his home in Killi Habib Faizabad in Quetta. Another Baloch civilian, Saleh Naeem, a resident of Pulabad in Kech district, also became the victim of enforced disappearance by Pakistani forces on July 28.
“These disappearances are part of a systematic policy targeting Baloch civilians and youth,” Paank stated.
The human rights body also sharply criticised the arbitrary arrest and racial profiling of dozens of Baloch students by the Islamabad Police. Paank stated that the detention of these students, who were taken to the Secretariat Police Station and interrogated over alleged affiliations with banned groups, constitutes a “blatant act of ethnic targeting” and a grave violation of their fundamental rights, as enshrined in Pakistan’s Constitution and international human rights law. Such actions, it stated, undermine the principles of equality, justice, and freedom of expression, exacerbating the “systemic marginalisation” faced by the Baloch community.
“We are deeply troubled by reports that human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, a vocal advocate for Baloch rights, was present at the police station and may have faced detention or harassment. Additionally, other individuals attempting to access the station were reportedly mistreated, further highlighting the authorities’ attempts to suppress dissent and silence those who challenge these injustices,” Paank stated.
Paank demanded the immediate release of all detained students and an end to the unlawful practice of racial profiling. The human rights body called on the Pakistani authorities to uphold their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, ensuring accountability for these violations.
–IANS
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