Karachi: The family of Hamdan Baloch, son of Muhammad Ali Baloch, held an emergency press conference saying that he was first subjected to enforced disappearance and later killed in what they described as a staged police encounter. They further claimed that authorities are refusing to hand over his body.
According to the family, Hamdan Baloch, a student and resident of Golimar, was taken into custody without a warrant near Dhobi Ghat Bridge on December 29, 2025, and subsequently went missing. His relatives described the incident as a clear case of enforced disappearance.
On January 6, 2026, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) stated in a press conference that Hamdan Baloch had been arrested from Rais Goth on suspicion of affiliation with and facilitation of an armed organization. The family rejected this claim, asserting that he was detained from Dhobi Ghat, not Rais Goth, and described the terrorism charges as baseless and fabricated.
Family members said they were contesting the allegations through legal channels and that several court hearings had taken place. They stated that Hamdan’s final court appearance was scheduled for the day of the alleged encounter, after which he was to be transferred to jail. However, in a statement issued on the morning of January 6, the CTD claimed that he was killed during an exchange of fire and that he was shot by his own associates.
The family said they have identified the body but are facing obstacles in obtaining custody. Representatives of the Edhi Foundation reportedly informed them that the body cannot be released without authorization from the CTD, while CTD officials are allegedly delaying the process.
They further said that authorities are pressuring them to sign a document declaring Hamdan Baloch a terrorist, a demand they have refused.
Describing the sequence of events as a serious violation of law and human rights, the family said that enforced disappearance followed by extrajudicial killing, and then conditioning the release of the body, represents a deeply troubling practice.
They demanded:
- Immediate registration of a case against the CTD officers involved.
- A transparent and impartial post-mortem examination of Hamdan Baloch’s body.
- Continuation of the ongoing legal proceedings in accordance with due process to establish the facts.
The family also appealed to civil society, human rights organizations, the legal community, and members of the public to raise their voices on the issue to prevent similar incidents in the future.
