Father of BYC Leader Dr. Sabiha Baloch Freed After Months of Enforced Disappearance
SHAAL (QUETTA): Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), confirmed that her father, who had been missing since April 5, has safely returned home.
Speaking to media, Dr. Sabiha shared the news of her father’s recovery, stating, “Although I cannot meet him, knowing that he is safe and home is enough for me.” Her father’s disappearance had become a symbol of the wider struggle faced by hundreds of Baloch families seeking answers about their missing loved ones.
Dr. Sabiha condemned the practice of enforced disappearances, calling it one of the worst forms of collective punishment. “When a person is forcibly disappeared, it is not just an assault on that individual but a trauma inflicted upon the entire family,” she said. “I have felt this pain even before it came to my own door, and it was this very pain that refused to let me stay silent.”
Reflecting on her personal struggle, she spoke about the emotional toll of activism. “Whenever I began to feel exhausted, when relentless trials seemed to break my spirit, the tears in a mother’s eyes would jolt me awake. Those tears would become the path leading me back. Perhaps life is about sharing hope with others, and in return, finding hope for oneself in the darkness.”
Dr. Sabiha extended heartfelt gratitude to all individuals and groups who stood in solidarity with her family during this ordeal. “I am deeply thankful for the love, empathy, and support we received. My prayers are with every family still searching for their missing loved ones. May they, too, soon be reunited.”
She called for an immediate end to the practice of enforced disappearances, labelling it a gross violation of human rights. “This oppression must end. Enforced disappearance is a criminal act and the cruelest form of collective punishment. No family deserves to be targeted with such brutality.”
Emphasising that the fight against enforced disappearances is both constitutional and legal, Dr. Sabiha declared that this struggle is a shared moral responsibility. “Continuing this fight is not just an act of resistance; it is a human duty that belongs to all of us.”
Dr. Sabiha’s statement comes at a time when Baloch families are intensifying their protests in Islamabad and Quetta, demanding accountability for state-led abductions. Human rights organisations have repeatedly criticized Pakistan for its failure to address enforced disappearances, which remain a systematic and unresolved issue, especially in Balochistan.
While the recovery of Dr. Sabiha’s father is a moment of relief, activists stress that countless others remain missing, and the cycle of disappearances continues unabated.
