Human rights activist Saeeda Baloch and her sister remain in police custody after being detained while attempting to identify bodies at Quetta’s Civil Hospital, according to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
The two women were among several relatives of missing persons who gathered at the hospital on Wednesday after Pakistani security forces transferred 23 unidentified bodies there.
BYC said police launched a crackdown at the hospital, using force against the families and detaining both men and women. Those arrested were taken to Civil Lines Police Station in Quetta.
Lawyers and relatives later visited the police station but were denied access. According to lawyers, the women remain locked inside the station while the men have been moved to an undisclosed location.
Saeeda Baloch, whose brother and nephew have been forcibly disappeared for years, was at the hospital with her sister when the arrests took place.
Relatives said five bodies were identified during the process before police arrived in large numbers and forcibly detained several people.
Dr Mahrang Baloch, central organiser of the BYC, condemned the arrests. She said the families were simply seeking information about their loved ones.
“Our comrade Saeeda Baloch and her sister were detained just for asking about their forcibly disappeared brother and nephew,” Dr Baloch said.
She added that Saeeda is a single mother who raised two children after her husband, Faisal Baloch, was killed by the state.
“In Balochistan, being aware of your rights has become a crime,” Dr Baloch said.
The BYC has demanded the immediate release of Saeeda Baloch, her sister, and all others arrested from the hospital.