The protest camp of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) marked its 5,877th consecutive day on Sunday outside the Quetta Press Club, as the organization condemned what it described as a sharp escalation in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch civilians by Pakistani security forces.
The protest was led by VBMP executive committee member Niaz Nitchari, who issued a strong statement accusing state institutions of intensifying operations under the pretext of national security, resulting in a surge of unlawful detentions and custodial deaths across Balochistan in 2025.
Nitchari cited the recent death of Karim Jan, a resident of Mashkay in Awaran district, as a deeply disturbing example of this ongoing trend. According to the family, Karim Jan was summoned to a military camp on February 22, 2025, taken into custody, and transferred to an undisclosed location. After months of silence, his body was returned to the family on Saturday, bearing signs of torture.
Nichari said that actions like these do not strengthen Pakistan’s national security, but rather cause anguish and resentment in the people of Balochistan.
VBMP urged the federal government and top leadership of state institutions to adopt a more serious and lawful approach toward Balochistan. The group called for the immediate recovery of all forcibly disappeared persons; a complete halt to extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions; and the resolution of the issue of enforced disappearances within the framework of Pakistan’s laws and constitution
The ongoing sit-in by VBMP – now nearing its 16th year – has become one of the longest-running human rights protests in history. Despite thousands of days of continuous presence, families of missing persons say they have received few answers and even fewer results.