A rally and seminar were held in Turbat on Saturday to mark nine years since the enforced disappearance of Shabir Baloch, the former information secretary of the Baloch Students Organization (Azad), as families of missing persons and rights activists demanded his recovery and an end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Shabir Balochwas allegedly abducted by Pakistani forces on 4 October 2016. His whereabouts remain unknown to date.
The event, organized by Shabir’s family and began with a rally that passed through various roads and concluded at Shaheed Fida Chowk, where a seminar was held. The Baloch Women Forum (BWF) also participated in the event.
The first session featured a panel discussion moderated by Nasreen Baloch and attended by Fauzia Baloch, Seema Baloch, the mother of missing person Israr Baloch, and Advocate Majeed Dashti.
During the session, Shabir’s sister, Seema Baloch, described her brother as “not only the breadwinner of our family but also a cheerful, compassionate, and loyal friend.” She said, “4 October will always be remembered as a cursed day in our lives. Shabir sacrificed his youth for his people and for Balochistan. Even before his disappearance, our house was raided, but he always encouraged us to stay strong.”
Shabir’s wife said she has lived “in torment” for nine years, uncertain whether her husband is alive or dead. “I don’t know whether to call myself Shabir’s wife or widow,” she said, adding that she continues to protest on the streets “in hopes that, if he is alive, he will be returned.”
The mother of missing Israr Baloch, who also joined the rally, said her son was disappeared from Quetta in February 2015. “Even after ten years, we have received no information. We have raised our voices everywhere in hopes of bringing our son back.”
Fauzia Baloch Shashani, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) Karachi, said the cycle of enforced disappearances in Balochistan continues unabated. “History shows that powerful nations have always treated subjugated peoples as masters treat slaves, and today the Baloch are facing the same,” she said. “When we raise our voices, we are silenced through repression. In Islamabad, we faced violence in front of everyone. Dr. Mahrang Baloch and her colleagues are in detention today simply because they spoke out.”
Advocate Majeed Dashti said the continued use of enforced disappearances violates Pakistan’s own Constitution. “In no country in the world can a person be held unlawfully for more than fourteen hours, but here years pass by,” he said.
Speakers at the event said enforced disappearances have not only devastated families but also “destroyed the social fabric of Baloch society.” They said each missing person represents “a continuing wound” that deepens mistrust between the people and the state.
BSO Azad Statement
Meanwhile, the Baloch Students Organization (Azad) also issued a statement marking the ninth anniversary of Shabir’s disappearance, describing him as “an aware and politically conscious student leader” detained for his political activism.
The group said Shabir has been “imprisoned in torture cells by the occupying Pakistani forces for nine years,” calling his continued detention “a symbol of resistance against oppression.”
According to the BSO Azad spokesperson, Shabir “devoted his youth to guiding Baloch students toward political awareness,” and his disappearance reflects “the occupier’s fear of an awakened and organized generation.”
The organization said that attempts to silence figures like Shabir have failed to weaken their movement. “Instead of breaking the BSO Azad, the state’s repression has made it stronger and more ideologically unified,” the statement read.
The BSO Azad described Shabir’s endurance as “a beacon for Baloch youth,” urging students to continue his mission by educating and organizing the youth for what the group called the Baloch national struggle.