QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN: Protests erupted in the Hironk area of Kech as the family and residents blocked the CPEC road in demonstration against the enforced disappearance of nursing student Khadija Baloch, who was taken from the girls’ hostel of Bolan Medical College (BMC) eight days ago.
The sit-in protest outside Bolan Medical Complex, which has now entered its eighth consecutive day, reached a new intensity as today the family and demonstrators took to the road and disrupted traffic on the strategically vital China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route to press their demands for Khadija’s immediate release in Hironk, Kech.
During a press conference held at the protest in Quetta, family members warned authorities that if Khadija Baloch is not released, the CPEC road will continue to be blocked. The family urged members of the public to raise their voices in support and stand with them in their struggle to secure her safe recovery.
Khadija Baloch, a nursing student at Bolan Medical College, has been missing for eight days following her forcible disappearance from the BMC girls’ hostel by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel. In the only official response so far, authorities spokesperson Babar Yousafzai stated that Khadija Baloch was arrested on the basis of evidence. However, no evidence has been presented before the media or the public to date, raising serious concerns among her family and civil society regarding the transparency and legal basis of her detention.
