ISLAMABAD: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) ended their sit-in outside the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad on Tuesday after over 30 days.

The decision to end the sit-in comes a day after NPC Islamabad lodged a complaint with the Kohsar Police Station, requesting the removal of the Baloch protesters from the open park in front of the NPC. The club’s administration expressed concerns about security threats, citing the visits of political and social personalities of national stature to the NPC for various functions.

The NPC administration mentioned that the prolonged sit-in had caused financial losses as political and social sectors refrained from holding press conferences and other functions at the NPC.

Since December 20, 2023, Baloch protesters had been demonstrating in the federal capital against “enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings.”

Dr. Mahrang Baloch, an activist and one of the organizers of the protest, announced that they were returning to Balochistan from Islamabad and would organize a rally in Balochistan on January 27.

In the previous month, Islamabad police conducted a crackdown on the Baloch protesters, dismantling their camps outside the National Press Club.

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This action led to the arrest of most protesters, triggering widespread public outcry. Initially, the government defended the crackdown, labeling it as a necessary measure to prevent a “catastrophe.” However, in response to the public backlash, all Baloch protesters were released after a week-long detention.

Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued orders, as per a petition filed by Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch, instructing local authorities and police to refrain from hindering or using force to remove the Baloch marchers. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani presided over the case, addressing concerns of harassment and attempts to forcibly displace the protesting families in Islamabad.