Pakistani security forces have reportedly detained the fathers of two prominent Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, Dr Sabiha Baloch and Beebow Baloch, amid a widening crackdown on political dissent across Balochistan.
According to sources, Mama Ghaffar Qambrani — a Baloch rights activist and senior leader of the National Party — was picked up from Quetta on Saturday and taken to an undisclosed location. His daughter, BYC member Beebow Baloch, has been in police custody for the past 15 days.
The news of Qambrani’s detention was confirmed by his son, Balakh Baloch, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The National Party condemned the arrest, describing it as a “direct attack on political expression,” and warned that “such tactics of intimidation have no place in a democratic society and will be firmly resisted.”
In a separate incident, the father of BYC leader Dr Sabiha Baloch — Mir Basheer Ahmed — was reportedly detained from Hub Chowki. According to Dr Baloch, her father was taken to the office of the Hub Superintendent of Police, where authorities stated he would not be released unless she surrendered herself.
In a statement posted on X, Dr Sabiha Baloch said, “My father has not been detained for any crime but because of my political views. This is not law enforcement; it is political blackmail.”
She added that her family had faced repeated harassment due to her activism.
“When the state fails to silence a voice, it targets their loved ones,” she said. “But the state forgets—ideas don’t live in homes that can be raided. They live in hearts that refuse to bow. We will not be silenced.”
Earlier on Saturday, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind told media that action would be taken against Dr Sabiha Baloch for making what he described as “anti-state remarks” during the ongoing sit-in protest at Lakpass in Mastung on Friday.
Shortly after the announcement, reports of her father’s detention began circulating.
These latest developments mark a significant escalation in the state’s efforts to suppress political activism in Balochistan, where rights groups have long raised alarm over enforced disappearances and curbs on civil liberties.
No official statement has been issued regarding the whereabouts or charges against either Mama Ghaffar Qambrani or Mir Basheer Ahmed. Human rights organisations and political observers have expressed growing concern over the targeting of activists’ families and the broader implications for democratic freedoms in the region.