ISLAMABAD: Author and journalist Mohammad Hanif returned his “Sitara e Imtiaz” award on Saturday in protest against government’s crackdown on participants of the Balochistan march, which was conducted against the enforced disappearance of their family members.

Hanif made the announcement in a post shared on social media platform X. “In protest, returning my Sitara e Imtiaz, given to me by a state that continues to abduct and torture Baloch citizens,” he wrote.

“Journalists of my generation have seen @SammiBaluch and @MahrangBaloch_ grow up in protest camps. Ashamed to witness a new generation being denied basic dignity,” he added.