KARACHI: A raid on the Karachi home of Sarang Hyder, known as Sarang Sindhi, coordinator of the Europe Chapter of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, has triggered allegations that his family was threatened over his human rights activism abroad, including a protest he led in London last month.
The residence was reportedly raided on the night of September 8, 2026, by a group of unidentified armed men linked to Pakistani security and intelligence agencies.
According to Hyder’s cousin and other family members, nine men arrived in two vehicles at around 9:30 p.m. and searched the house, ransacking rooms and seizing books, documents and other personal belongings. The family says the men also harassed and intimidated Hyder’s ill cousin, Qamar and other relatives present at the time.
During the raid, the men reportedly delivered a warning intended for Hyder himself, telling him to “rein in his voice abroad” and to stop using the kind of language he used during a protest in London on August 30, 2026 a message the family interpreted as a threat of further consequences if he continued his activism.
Sohail Abro, chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, and Sorath Lohar, convener of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, condemned the raid, saying it raises fears that Hyder could face continued surveillance, harassment or retaliation over his international advocacy on enforced disappearances in Sindh. They noted that Hyder has raised these issues at forums in London, Geneva, The Hague and Brussels, addressing cases affecting Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun, Kashmiri and other communities.
The two leaders also condemned what they described as a broader pattern of pressure, surveillance and intimidation carried out by Pakistani security and intelligence institutions including the ISI, Military Intelligence (MI), the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Pakistan Rangers, against human rights activists in Sindh. They warned that defenders speaking out against enforced disappearances and other abuses appear to be facing mounting pressure.
Abro and Lohar have called on Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), United Nations human rights mechanisms, and other national and international bodies to urgently examine the incident, press for an independent investigation, and monitor the safety of Hyder, his family, and others connected to his human rights work.
