The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has condemned what it describes as the “enforced disappearance” of Shafiq Zehri, the father of Baloch activist Mahzaib Shafiq, calling the incident part of a broader pattern of collective punishment against families seeking justice in Balochistan.
In a statement issued to the media, BNM Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch said Mahzaib Shafiq has become “another victim of Pakistan’s state policies” for peacefully and legally campaigning for the safe recovery of her uncle, Rashid Hussain. He alleged that instead of addressing the family’s demands, Pakistani security forces had escalated their suffering by abducting her father, Shafiq Zehri, and subjecting him to “enforced disappearance.”
Dr. Naseem Baloch said the incident was not an isolated case but part of what he described as a “systematic strategy” in which state institutions target entire families to silence dissent and suppress voices demanding justice. He said that when affected families raise their voices for the recovery of loved ones, they are met not with legal remedies but with further repression and retaliation.
The BNM chairman said Mahzaib Shafiq’s struggle reflects the experiences of many Baloch women who, he said, are forced to become the sole voice for their families in the face of enforced disappearances, threats, and alleged state violence.
According to the statement, instead of responding to calls for the safe release of Rashid Hussain, authorities allegedly chose to punish Mahzaib by forcibly disappearing her father. Dr. Naseem Baloch described the disappearance of Shafiq Zehri as a clear violation of international human rights law and claimed it demonstrated the use of collective punishment as a policy tool in Balochistan.
He concluded by saying the incident was a stark reminder that, in Balochistan, even demanding justice can place an entire family at risk of losing everything.