Baloch Long March protestors stage sit-in at Islamabad’s National Press Club

ISLAMABAD: Activists participating in the Baloch Long March against the Baloch genocide staged a sit-in at Islamabad’s National Press Club on the 32nd day of their movement late Monday night.

The march from Turbat to Islamabad faced numerous challenges, with the state imposing “barriers and arrests,” yet the “march united Baloch and revealed the government’s oppressive actions,” according to the Baloch Yakjahti Committee.

The Baloch Yakjahti Committee, in a post on X, emphasised the difficulties encountered during their protest march and how these challenges only served to unite the Baloch community against the oppressive actions of the government.

“We’ve gathered at Islamabad’s National Press Club, standing firm against injustice,” the post added.

Mahrang Baloch, the leader of the Baloch Solidarity Committee, in a virtual address from Islamabad, pleaded for humanitarian intervention against the Baloch genocide that has persisted for decades in Balochistan. She highlighted the forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and forced displacement of thousands, emphasising the escalating intensity of the genocide.

She said that the movement began with a peaceful sit-in in Turbat, lasting 13 days, before transitioning into a peaceful long march covering hundreds of kilometres to reach the capital. However, the state responded with extreme force throughout the mass movement, employing false FIRs, physical violence, and arrests against the activists.

“Against the severe Baloch genocide, we held a peaceful sit-in for 13 days in Turbat, Balochistan, and after 13 days, we started a peaceful long march that started in Turbat and travelled hundreds of kilometres to Islamabad, reaching the capital of Pakistan,” Mahrang Baloch said.

Upon reaching Islamabad, the protestors faced further obstacles, including a three- to four-hour blockade by the police and subsequent torture. This brutality was inflicted not only on adults but also on small children, women, and the elderly, with water cannons and tear gas used in extreme cold conditions during the night, she alleged.

Not only women and children were arrested, but also attempts were made to forcefully evict the protesters from Islamabad, she said.

“We were accompanied by small children, women, the elderly and young people. All of them were subjected to severe torture; water cans and tear gas were used on us during the night in extreme cold, injuring many of our innocent children, women, elderly and youth. And after we were all arrested, there were about 80 women and children, and more than 200 were our youth,” she added.

According to Dawn, the caretaker government on Monday claimed that 290 Baloch protesters — who were arrested during a demonstration in Islamabad against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings — had been released from jail and police custody.

However, Mahrang Baloch claimed that over 100 activists remain in the custody of Islamabad police, with 14 reported as having forcibly disappeared, adding a layer of urgency to their plea for international assistance.

“After releasing the women and children last night, an attempt was made to evict them from Islamabad forcefully, but we resisted for 7 to 8 hours, and then we were released. Still, more than 100 of our friends are in the custody of Islamabad police and are not being produced in court, while 14 of our friends have forcibly disappeared, and we are not being given any information about them, nor are we getting any information about them,” the activist also said.

Mahrang Baloch concluded her address by appealing to the global community for help, emphasising that collective action is crucial to prevent the ongoing genocide of the Baloch nation. The activists remain determined to amplify their voices against injustice and seek support from the world to halt the atrocities they face.