The demonstrators gathered at the press club to protest against the enforced disappearances, racial profiling and surveilling of Baloch students. According to The Friday Times, the students reported instances of harassment and interrogation by an individual known as “Major Murtaza.”

The sit-in was arranged by the Baloch Students Council Islamabad to demand the release of Baloch MPhil student Hafeez Baloch, who was allegedly abducted from a science tuition classroom where he was teaching. Hafeez is a student at Islamabad’s Quaid0i-Azam university and is the latest in the series of cases of enforced disappearances in Pakistan.

Dawar and Mazari, who is the daughter of federal minister for human rights Shireen Mazari, also joined the sit-in, which was later dispersed as the police baton charged the protestors.

Islamabad police said that FIR registered at the Koshar Police Station was for rebellion, rioting and raising anti-state slogans, as reported by Geo News.

Responding to the FIR, Mazari tweeted:

“Instead of filing cases against the rouge elements involved in enforced disappearances, the state chooses to file fake cases against those who protest against enforced disappearances,” said Dawar.

Many social media users condemned the cased registered against them.

One user called for a legislation to stop the “malicious prosecution” of political workers and HR activists.