A young shopkeeper was allegedly forcibly disappeared from Quetta’s Sariab Road area, while the long-running protest camp against enforced disappearances outside the Quetta Press Club completed its 6,160th day.
According to family members, 20-year-old Saeed Baloch, son of Lal Muhammad, was taken into custody at around 5:00am on May 6 from his home in Faizabad, Killi Habib, on Sariab Road.
The family said personnel of Pakistani forces, including the Frontier Corps, raided the house and took Saeed Baloch with them, adding that no information had been provided about his whereabouts since then and that he had not been produced before any court.
The latest case comes amid continuing protests by families of missing persons in Balochistan, where the protest camp set up outside the Quetta Press Club under the auspices of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) entered its 6,160th day on Saturday.
Families of missing persons and rights campaigners have long gathered at the camp to demand the recovery of forcibly disappeared persons and the production of detainees before courts.
The brother of young journalist Maqbool Jaffar and colleagues associated with his media group visited the camp and expressed solidarity with the families of missing persons.
Participants said Maqbool Jaffar was allegedly taken into custody at night and moved to an unknown location for “speaking the truth” and highlighting public issues.
They said a case was later registered against him under the PECA Act and that he was produced before a court, from where he was again handed over to the FIA on physical remand. They described the process as a serious violation of press freedom and basic human rights.
Speaking at the camp, VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch said Maqbool Jaffar’s detention was “extremely concerning, unconstitutional and condemnable”.
He said harassing journalists, suppressing dissent and making arrests without transparent legal justification were not only attacks on fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan, but also on democratic values and freedom of expression.
Nasrullah Baloch said journalists are the “eyes and ears of society”, adding that they play an important role in bringing public issues, human rights violations and the truth to light.
He said actions against journalists and human rights workers in Balochistan were creating an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and censorship among media professionals, which he described as “extremely dangerous” for any civilised and democratic society.
He demanded that the government, judiciary and relevant institutions immediately release Maqbool Jaffar, ensure the protection of his legal and constitutional rights and, instead of harassing journalists, guarantee press freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights.