The sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club by the parents of missing Baloch student Zahid Ali was suspended for a day after his father, Abdul Hameed Baloch, fell ill on Sunday morning.
According to family members, Abdul Hameed, who already suffers from hepatitis, suddenly felt unwell and was taken to a local clinic, where doctors advised strict rest. As a result, the ongoing hunger strike at the protest camp had to be temporarily called off.
The family has been staging the sit-in for the past 40 days, demanding the recovery of Zahid, who was forcibly disappeared several months ago and remains in unknown detention.
Zahid Baloch, a Karachi University student, used to drive a rickshaw alongside his studies to support household expenses and pay for his father’s treatment. According to the family, security forces took him away along with his rickshaw and since then there has been no information about his whereabouts.
The family recalled that they had earlier protested near Mauripur, where police and district authorities assured them that information about Zahid would be provided. However, despite repeated promises, no updates or contact have been made.
Speaking to the media, Zahid’s mother said her son was the family’s sole breadwinner, working tirelessly to fund his father’s medical treatment. Since Zahid’s disappearance, the family has been suffering from severe mental and emotional distress.
Once again, the family appealed to the government, judiciary and human rights organizations to ensure Zahid’s safe recovery, stressing that families of the disappeared continue to await justice and accountability while official silence deepens their wounds.
