Sadia Baloch, sister of Salman Baloch who was forcibly disappeared in November 2022, has strongly condemned the recent dismissal of her brother’s case by Justice Amanullah Yasinzai, calling the decision a betrayal of constitutional rights and a sign of complicity in state repression.
Speaking to the media, Sadia expressed outrage over what she described as the judge’s “apathy” and disregard for the Constitution’s Articles 9 and 10-A, which guarantee the right to life and a fair trial. “This ruling proves he is no longer a protector of justice, but a defender of state brutality,” she said.
She added that for families like hers, missing persons are not just case files. “They are our lives. We live every day with the torment of their absence,” she said.
Salman Baloch was allegedly abducted by Pakistani forces on 13 November 2022 in Quetta. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown, with no official acknowledgment or legal proceedings regarding his detention.
Sadia questioned the role of the judiciary and state institutions, asking, “If the basic human rights promised by the Constitution are not upheld, where is an ordinary citizen supposed to go?”
She urged human rights organizations and civil society to stand with the families of the disappeared and raise their voices against enforced disappearances.