Authorities in Quetta have sealed Zawar Bookshop, a well-known cultural and intellectual hub in the capital of Balochistan, drawing condemnation from rights groups and local residents.
The shop belongs to the family of Ghani Baloch, an MPhil scholar in Brahui literature and political activist who was allegedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani intelligence agencies from Khuzdar on 25 May 2025.
His family members, who have been holding regular protests for his safe recovery, described the sealing as harassment and demanded the shop be reopened.
In a statement, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said the closure was part of a broader campaign “to silence dissent” and “crush spaces of critical thought,” describing it as a “direct assault on knowledge.”
The group added that targeting a bookstall linked to a disappeared scholar underscored the state’s fear of “an awakened and politically conscious society.”
Rights advocates in Quetta likewise criticised the decision, saying it punished the family of a disappeared person and narrowed already limited intellectual spaces in the city.
Observers note that targeting a bookshop linked to a disappeared scholar highlights how repression in Balochistan extends beyond individuals to intellectual and cultural spaces.
Rights activists argue that attempts to erase platforms for knowledge and debate reflect the state’s broader insecurity about political awareness spreading among the population.
There was no immediate comment from the Deputy Commissioner’s office.