Students at Bolan Medical College (BMC) in Quetta continued a sit-in for a third consecutive day on Friday over the disappearance of medical student Khadija Baloch, with protesters alleging harassment by authorities.
Khadija Baloch, a seventh-semester BS Nursing student and a resident of the Hirronk area in Kech district, was taken into custody from the BMC girls’ hostel by personnel of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other agencies and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Protesters have been staging a sit-in outside the college since, calling for her immediate production before a court and disclosure of her whereabouts.
Family members said no First Information Report (FIR) or formal charges had been registered following her detention, despite official claims that she had been arrested.
In a post on X, Babar Yousafzai, an aide in the Balochistan Home Department, said “clear evidence” had been found against a female student arrested from the Bolan Medical College (BMC) for allegedly aiding and facilitating militants.
He said legal action had been taken in accordance with due process and that the individual had been placed in an internment and detention centre under lawful orders issued by the government, adding that the family had been informed and urging the public to avoid spreading unverified information.
Speaking at a press conference at the protest site, Khadija Baloch’s parents said authorities had not informed them of her whereabouts or the reasons for her detention, adding that attempts were being made to force her to give a “false statement under torture” and that any such statement would have no legal standing.
They said that in previous cases, women who were disappeared were later presented before the media and accused of links with armed organisations after being held incommunicado for extended periods.
‘profiling protesters’
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said the sit-in had entered its third day without progress and accused the administration of harassing participants.
The group said protesters were being “profiled” and photographed under the pretext of negotiations.
“If any harm comes to any participant of the sit-in, the responsibility will lie squarely with the Quetta Police,” the statement said, describing the conduct of police as unlawful and intolerable.
The BYC appealed to the public and international organisations to raise their voices against what it described as oppression.