Eid al-Adha gatherings across several districts of Balochistan were marked by protests over alleged enforced disappearances as well as public addresses by Baloch “freedom fighters”, reflecting continuing political tensions and human rights violations in the region.
In Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan, families of missing persons held a demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club on the occasion of Eid. The protest was organised by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP).
Women and children were among those participating in the protest, with demonstrators carrying photographs of missing relatives and demanding information regarding their whereabouts.
Speakers at the gathering included VBMP chairman Nasrullah Baloch, activist Niaz Baloch and senior political figure Maheem Khan Baloch, alongside relatives of missing persons.
Addressing the protest, participants said that while Eid was being celebrated elsewhere in the country, many families in Balochistan continued to spend religious occasions campaigning for the recovery of their loved ones. Organisers stated that despite years passing, many families had received no information regarding missing relatives.
Nasrullah Baloch said the organisation had repeatedly called for the issue of missing persons to be resolved through legal and constitutional means, but claimed that authorities had failed to adequately address the matter. He further alleged that 257 new cases of enforced disappearance had been registered with the organisation since February, despite official claims that recently introduced legislation would help resolve the issue.
He also alleged that authorities had been pressuring organisers to end the group’s protest camp in Quetta.
Meanwhile, in Khuzdar, families of missing persons organised a rally on the first day of Eid al-Adha, joined by local residents and civil society participants. Protesters called for the recovery of all missing individuals and urged authorities to produce detainees before courts if any charges existed against them.
During the rally, speakers including Sadia Baloch and Saira Baloch described the personal impact of alleged enforced disappearances on their families. They criticised what they described as a lack of justice and accountability regarding missing persons cases in Balochistan.
Separately, reports from Kharan stated that armed Baloch freedom fighters, referred to locally as “Sarmachaars”, addressed Eid congregations in the Tazina and Ulmark areas.
According to local accounts, the speakers urged residents to support what they described as the Baloch national struggle and called for unity among the population. Attendees reportedly listened to the speeches and later interacted with the armed men. Similar appearances by Baloch fighters had also been reported during Eid al-Fitr gatherings earlier this year.
Pakistani authorities have not issued any official response regarding the Eid protests or the reported public appearances by Baloch fighters.