Baloch Families Face Eighth Day of Roadblocks and Repression in Islamabad Sit-In
ISLAMABAD, July 23, 2025: For the eighth consecutive day, families from Balochistan protesting in Islamabad continue to face harsh restrictions as authorities block access to the Islamabad Press Club, where demonstrators have been demanding justice for missing persons and the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders.
The sit-in, led predominantly by women, elderly individuals, and children, began over a week ago. Protesters say they are calling attention to the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan and the recent detentions of BYC activists.
Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, the state’s response has been to escalate suppression.
Buses and barbed wire barricades have been deployed to seal off all roads leading to the protest site. Observers report that authorities have deliberately placed vehicles to obscure the demonstrators from public view.
Protesters are not being allowed to set up even basic shelter, despite enduring harsh weather conditions, including heavy rain earlier this week.
“What we are witnessing is not just a disregard for the right to peaceful protest—it is an attempt to erase the protest entirely,” human rights observers expressed their disappointment with government’s unjust behaviour.
On the seventh day of the sit-in, additional roads around the Islamabad Press Club were also closed, further isolating the protesters. Activists and civil society groups continue to raise alarms over the government’s tactics, which they describe as “intimidation” and “repression.”
“This is not justice—it is silence enforced by force,” said a representative for the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. “We came here to speak. Instead, the Islamabad police and federal agencies are attempting to silence us.”
The protesters have urged citizens, journalists, and human rights defenders to stand in solidarity with their movement. They continue to call for the immediate release of BYC leaders, stop Baloch genocide and an end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
