State Wants Me to Resign From BYC in Return for My Brother’s Release: Fozia Baloch
SHAAL, BALOCHISTAN: With no access to press clubs or legal recourse, the family of Dad Shah Baloch held a press conference from their home today (May 7, 2026), speaking out against his enforced disappearance by state agencies.
Dad Shah Baloch, the brother of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) member Fozia Baloch, was abducted from their home on 21 April 2026 by officers from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies.
According to the family, 20 to 25 armed men in plain clothes, travelling in two police vehicles, a black Vigo and a white Alto, conducted a raid, used violence, and forcibly took him away.
Attempts by family members to record the incident on video were met with threats to abduct Dad Shah’s elder brother. When asked for a legal warrant, the officials told them to visit a police station without specifying which one.
Over the following hours, the family faced repeated obstacles in seeking information. Visits to local police stations and attempts to hold a press conference at Karachi Press Club were blocked. Authorities detained the family, including their elderly mother, and filed a fabricated FIR against them, denying her medical assistance for pre-existing health conditions.
Fozia Baloch said her family has faced ongoing harassment due to her political activism, and that her brother had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance and torture. She added that state agencies were attempting to coerce her into resigning from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee in exchange for her brother’s release, a demand she rejected.
Seventeen days after her brother’s disappearance, the family has received no updates regarding his safety or legal status. “This struggle is not just mine, it is collective,” she said. “We stand with Baloch mothers whose children have been imprisoned for years. Their courage strengthens ours.”
The family has demanded the immediate release of Dad Shah Baloch and insisted that if there are any charges against him, he should be presented before a court, emphasising that the law should protect citizens rather than be used as a tool for intimidation.
