ISLAMABAD; After 73 days of continuous protest in front of the National Press Club Islamabad, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) women demonstrators have finally called off their sit-in, returning home without their demands being met.
The mothers and sisters of missing persons had been staging the protest in the hope that the state would listen to their pleas. However, their cries failed to penetrate the high walls of authority, leaving them disheartened and empty-handed.
The sit-in, led by families of enforced disappearance victims, was one of the longest-running protests in recent years.
The women endured severe cold, police harassment, and repeated detentions, yet remained steadfast. Their main demand was the safe recovery of missing Baloch individuals, and they also sought an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the province.
The protest began in December 2023 after the killing of Baloch youth Balaach Mola Bakhsh in Turbat during a security operation. His death ignited anger across Balochistan, with activists claiming he was unlawfully killed. In response, the BYC launched a long march from Turbat to Islamabad, demanding justice for Balaach and accountability for the growing cases of missing persons.
Upon reaching Islamabad, the families set up camp outside the National Press Club. Their sit-in drew attention from human rights groups and civil society, but state institutions largely ignored their demands. Several attempts were made to disperse the protesters through arrests and intimidation, yet the women continued their vigil for over two months.
Ultimately, after 73 days of waiting in vain, the demonstrators ended their protest, symbolizing both their resilience and the state’s indifference toward their plight.
