A central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Sibghatullah Shah Ji Baloch, has been detained by Pakistani forces from his residence in Quetta and remains missing, the BYC said on Saturday.
“In yet another act of state brutality, security forces have abducted our Central Committee leader from his home in Satellite Town,”
the BYC said in a statement on X.
“The illegal detention of our leadership will not break this movement.”
According to local sources, Shah Ji was detained during the same raid in which Dr. Sanaullah Baloch, a medical college professor, was also taken along with his two nephews. Dr. Baloch and his relatives have since returned home safely.
However, no charges have been filed against Shah Ji, and he has not been presented in court.
This incident comes amid an ongoing crackdown in Balochistan, during which several senior BYC leaders — including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch, Bebarg Zehri, and Beebow Baloch — have also been arrested. The arrests have triggered widespread protests and international condemnation.
Civil Society Calls on PM to Release BYC Leaders Before Eid
More than 100 prominent civil society figures in Pakistan have written an open letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging the release of detained BYC leaders.
“We, the undersigned citizens of Pakistan, urge you to take immediate action to release Mahrang, Sammi, and other detained leaders of the BYC before Eid so they can spend it with their loved ones,” the letter said.
“Their arrests are a blatant attempt to silence voices advocating for an end to enforced disappearances and for fundamental rights and justice for the people of Balochistan,” the letter continued.
The letter expressed alarm at the treatment of women activists by law enforcement agencies and denounced the deployment of “excessive force” against peaceful protesters.
The signatories include prominent educationists, politicians, journalists, and human rights activists such as senior journalist Hamid Mir, former senator Afrasiab Khattak, Human Rights Watch Senior Counsel Saroop Ijaz, and PPP Human Rights Cell President Farhatullah Babar.
The demands of the signatories include the immediate release of detained BYC leaders, an end to enforced disappearances, the initiation of a meaningful political dialogue with the Baloch people, and to investigate into the alleged police brutality against the activists by conducting an independent investigation.
The letter also condemned the “unconstitutional re-arrest of BYC leaders,” including women activists, stating that “the MPO is being abused in clear violation of due process to detain activists after courts have granted them bail.”
“The ongoing crackdown on peaceful protests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan have created a climate of fear and repression,”
the letter reads, warning that denying political dialogue will “only deepen the crisis.”
The letter alleged that the actions of the government’s security agencies in Balochistan are raising serious concerns about human rights violations, adding that “by denying people the right to protest freely, the government is violating the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of assembly and association.”
Journalist and one of the signatories of the letter, Munizae Jahangir, said:
“We are writing this letter just before Eid as these women would like to spend time with their children. Some humanity has to prevail in this situation.”
“We also believe that this crisis can escalate, and steps need to be taken to avert this possibility,” she said.
BYC Announces Eid-Day Protests
In response to the ongoing crackdown, the BYC has announced that protest demonstrations will be held across Balochistan on Eid day.
Organizers said these protests will denounce the detention of leaders such as Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah Ji, Bebarg Zehri, and Beebow Baloch, alongside condemning “state repression” and “enforced disappearances.”
The scheduled protests include sit-ins and rallies in Panjgur, Nushki, Kohlu, Mastung, Khuzdar, Kalat, Kharan, Washuk, Hub, Malir (Karachi), Turbat, Buleda, Tump, Chagai, Nokundi, Dalbandin, Charsar, Mashkel, Yakmach among others. Most events are set to begin in the afternoon.
“We will not give up our rightful struggle,”
the BYC said, urging supporters to participate and show solidarity during Eid.