The brother of missing student Saeed Baloch was briefly arrested in Islamabad on Thursday, along with another member of the Baloch Students Council (BSC), in what student groups described as an unlawful attempt to intimidate those demanding Saeed’s recovery. Both were later released.
According to the BSC, police detained Saeed’s brother, Azam Baloch, and student activist Majid Baloch outside the District Court at the G-11 Judicial Complex. The council said the arrest took place in full view of lawyers and journalists, adding that police neither stated a reason for the detention nor presented an FIR or any legal documentation.
In a statement, the Baloch Students Council said the arrests reflected “a shameless display of state power,” adding that such actions were illegal and amounted to “a direct attack on the democratic rights of every citizen.” The spokesperson said attempts to intimidate students demanding accountability would not deter their call for justice.
The council demanded the immediate release of both men and called for action against those responsible for the “unlawful arrest.”
Hours after their detention, the Baloch Students Council announced that Azam and Majid had been released. The group welcomed their return but warned that the incident highlighted a pattern of intimidation that could not be normalised.
“It is a moment of pure relief and joy for all of us,” the council said, adding that the disappearance and sudden release of the two men underscored “a deeply alarming pattern that is not acceptable and should not be accepted as normal.”
The statement said that while students celebrated their release, they would not ignore the system that enabled such arrests. “Today’s relief must not silence tomorrow’s concern,” the council added, saying the episode should strengthen demands for transparency, accountability and an end to practices that have created fear among Baloch students.
Saeed Baloch, a student of the Defence and Strategic Studies department at Quaid-i-Azam University, was allegedly forcibly disappeared by law enforcement personnel at the Islamabad Toll Plaza on 8 July. His whereabouts remain unknown.
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