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Families of detained and forcibly disappeared Baloch leaders continued with their sit-in protest in Islamabad despite facing harsh weather conditions and state intimidation, leading the Baloch human rights group, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), reported on Saturday.
As per BYC, the families had travelled from Balochistan all the way to Islamabad in search for justice. The protesters include elderly women and children who have withstood heavy rains, extreme heat, and severe weather over the past several days. Despite this, BYC said that the state has responded with roadblocks, surveillance, intimidation, along with the sealing of roads in front of the National Press Club. "Today marks Day 18 since the Baloch families of detained BYC leaders and other enforcedly disappeared persons travelled from Balochistan to Islamabad in search of justice," BYC said in a post on the social media platform X. BYC further added, "For 18 consecutive days, these families, many of them elderly women and children, have sat in protest through heavy rain, unbearable heat, and harsh weather, yet no camp has been allowed. Instead of listening to their cries, the state has responded with roadblocks, intimidation, surveillance, and the sealing of the road in front of the National Press Club." https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1951603112164360699 Balochistan has long been the centre of persistent human rights issues. The area has experienced cycles of violence related to separatist movements, a heavy military presence, forced disappearances, and economic neglect. These challenges have attracted attention from human rights groups, journalists, and international observers. Human rights groups have long accused Pakistani authorities of abducting civilians in Balochistan without due process, using enforced disappearances to suppress dissent and intimidate communities in restive areas. Pakistani authorities routinely deny these allegations, but civil society continues to condemn the security forces' role in systematic abductions targeting students, political workers, and residents. (ANI)
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