Balochistan: Families of Missing Persons Hold Protest Rally in Hub Chowki

QUETTA: A three-day hunger strike camp organised by the families of missing persons came to an end today in Hub Chowki, a key industrial city in Balochistan.

The camp, aimed at raising awareness about the forced disappearances of two brothers, Junaid Hamid and Yasir Hamid, culminated in a protest rally that began at Hub Press Club.

The rally, which marched through various city streets, ended in front of the Press Club.

The hunger strike camp was set up by the relatives of Junaid and Yasir Hamid, who were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces last October in the towns of Hub Chowki and Kalat. Since their disappearance, the families have been demanding justice and the immediate recovery of their loved ones.

The camp saw active participation from not only the relatives of the two brothers but also from families of other missing persons, members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), political activists, and concerned citizens.

Among the participants were the mother of Baloch activist Rashid Hussain, the sister of BSO-Azad student leader Shabbir Baloch, and the families of missing individuals including Chakir Khan Bugti, Naoroz Islam, and Naseer Jan.

Yasmin, the sister of the missing Hamid brothers, addressed the crowd during the rally and expressed her frustration over the ongoing situation. “My brothers have been in the illegal custody of state institutions for three months, and we still don’t know what charges they are facing or what crime they have committed,” she said.

Yasmin emphasised that her brothers were simple labourers with no ties to political or illegal activities, and their enforced disappearance was a clear violation of the law.

Sima Baloch, the sister of missing activist Shabbir Baloch, shared her personal struggle in a powerful speech. “I have been protesting for my brother’s recovery since 2016,” she said. “Protesting outside press clubs has become our daily routine, but the state institutions, the law, and the judiciary have lost their credibility.”

The mother of Rashid Hussain, a Baloch activist missing for six years, also addressed the gathering, lamenting the lack of justice for missing persons in the region. “It has been six years, and we have never received justice,” she said.

“I am still forced to protest for my son’s recovery. Has it become a crime for a mother to seek justice for her son?”

The protest also featured speeches from members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), who travelled from Hub and Karachi to show solidarity. “This is a tragedy that almost every day, another family in Balochistan faces the nightmare of enforced disappearance,” the protesters said. “This issue has been ongoing for decades, but the apathy of state institutions continues to grow.”

The committee members reiterated their demand for the immediate release of missing persons and an end to the practice of enforced disappearances, which they called an inhumane act.

“We demand that the missing persons be immediately brought to light. If the state institutions and judiciary do not take action, the Baloch people are prepared to go to any length to ensure the recovery of their loved ones.”

The rally ended with a collective call for justice and an end to enforced disappearances. Protesters warned that if their loved ones are not recovered soon, the scope of the protests will expand across Balochistan. “This protest is just the beginning. If the authorities do not act, we will take this movement to every corner of Balochistan.”