Families of Baloch missing persons and victims of extrajudicial killings have been holding protest sit-ins for several days in Islamabad, Karachi and Quetta, determined to seek the recovery of their loved ones and justice.
In Islamabad, the sit-in organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Council (BYC) demanding the release of detained leaders and forcibly disappeared individuals entered its 28th consecutive day today. The protesters include elderly women, children and students, sitting by the roadside without any shade despite the intense heat. Authorities have closed the Islamabad Press Club, which has historically been a center for the voices of the oppressed.
According to the protesters, instead of addressing their demands, the state is employing tactics such as road blockades, intimidation and surveillance. However, the protesters have declared that they will not end the sit-in until justice is delivered.
Similarly, protests are ongoing in Karachi, where the family of Zahid Ali Baloch has been camping outside the Karachi Press Club for the eighth day. Zahid Ali, a 25-year-old international relations student at the University of Karachi, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces on July 17, 2025. Along with him, his rickshaw, which he used to support his family part-time, was also taken. It has now been 27 days since his disappearance, and his father Abdul Hameed, who suffers from a liver condition, along with other family members, continues the protest.
The family has appealed to citizens, student organizations, human rights activists and the media to join the protest and raise their voices.
In Quetta, the mother of 17-year-old Ehsan Shah has been protesting outside the Press Club for eight days. Ehsan Shah, a resident of Mastung and son of Syed Manzoor Shah, was killed near the Luk Pass Tunnel Check Post by Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel on June 3, 2025. The family states that since the killing, they have faced continuous threats and pressure to withdraw their demand for justice, but despite the dangers, they refuse to back down.
These ongoing sit-ins in all three cities reflect the resilience of affected families in Balochistan, who persist in their struggle for the recovery of their loved ones and justice despite all hardships and pressures.
