Protesters blocked the Quetta-bound China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highway at the Hironk point in Turbat on Wednesday, a day after the family of nursing student Khadija Baloch said it would escalate protests if she was not recovered.
Local sources said the blockade suspended traffic in both directions and disrupted travel between Turbat and surrounding regions, including Hoshap, Awaran, Panjgur, Surab and Quetta.
The escalation followed a press conference on Tuesday at an ongoing sit-in outside Bolan Medical College in Quetta, where Khadija Baloch’s family said she was taken from a girls’ hostel on the night of April 22 without a warrant and had not been produced before any court.
The family said it believed the action violated constitutional and fundamental rights. The family demanded that if there were any charges against her, she should be presented before a court for transparent legal proceedings, otherwise released.
At the conclusion of the press conference, the family warned it would be “compelled to block the CPEC road” if she was not recovered by the following day.
On Wednesday, protesters carried out the warning by blocking the highway at Hironk, local sources said.
Protesters said no information had been provided about Khadija Baloch’s whereabouts since she was taken, adding that the demonstrations would continue until her safe recovery.
Meanwhile, the sit-in outside Bolan Medical College (BMC) entered its eighth day on Wednesday, with family members, fellow students and local residents gathering to demand her recovery and accountability.