Dr. Hammal Khan Baloch, a PhD scholar and biotechnologist, has written a letter from prison highlighting his alleged unlawful detention and the broader challenges faced by Baloch students in Pakistan.
Dr. Hammal was detained on 20 March alongside his brother, Bebarg Baloch, a central committee member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), during a major security crackdown in Quetta. According to the BYC and local sources, law enforcement agencies, including the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), raided their residence in the early morning hours and allegedly forcibly disappeared both brothers.
The BYC strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “blatant act of repression aimed at silencing Baloch voices,” and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
In his letter, titled “A Voice From Behind Bars: A Letter of Truth, Struggle, and Hope,” Dr. Hammal Baloch describes his academic journey, the circumstances of his detention, and his refusal to sign a “false confession” demanded by Pakistani authorities.
Below is the full text of his letter:
A Voice From Behind Bars: A Letter of Truth, Struggle, and Hope
Dear friends, colleagues, and fellow scholars,
I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. Today, I write to you not from a classroom or a lab, but from behind the cold iron bars of a jail cell.
For those who don’t know me personally, let me briefly introduce myself. My academic journey began in 2013 when I joined the prestigious Department of Biochemistry at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, as a Master’s student. It was a path paved with hardship, uncertainty, and relentless struggle—but with the unwavering support of my friends and mentors, I earned my degree.
Driven by the dream of contributing meaningfully to science and society, I pursued and passed the rigorous entrance for an M.Phil in Biochemistry. Perhaps the most challenging part of this journey was finding a supervisor whose vision aligned with mine. I was fortunate to be mentored by Prof. Dr. Wasim Ahmed, an esteemed professor emeritus and leading scientist in the field. Under his guidance, I was trained in the research of human genetic disorders—knowledge I carried with me into my PhD at COMSATS University Islamabad.
During my PhD, I was also given the opportunity to conduct research on human genetic disorders at Columbia University in the United States. I have published more than 15 research papers in some of the world’s top-tier journals.
But today, instead of contributing to science, I find myself unlawfully imprisoned.
On the 20th of Ramadan, just after Sehri, law enforcement agencies, including the police, stormed my home in a brutal raid. My brother was forcefully taken, my mother and sisters were beaten, and when I tried to intervene, I too was beaten and arrested under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (3MPO). It has now been 30 days since I have been held without justification.
My family and friends approached the Deputy Commissioner’s office to seek my release. Shockingly, they were told that I would only be freed if I signed a false confession, admitting to “anti-state activities” and begging for forgiveness—something I refuse to do, because I have committed no crime.
So I ask: what is my crime? What law have I broken? The only answer that echoes in my mind is this—I am Baloch.
And in Pakistan, it seems, that alone is enough.
To be Baloch is to live under constant threat. It means facing illegal detentions, violence, and dehumanizing treatment. There is no justice in Balochistan. The law bends at the whims of those in power, and the truth is silenced by force.
I write this not to seek pity, but to raise a voice—for myself and for the countless Baloch students who are wrongfully detained, silenced, and forgotten. I refuse to confess to crimes I have not committed. I will not betray the truth to secure my freedom.
I urge my fellow students, teachers, researchers, friends, and colleagues: speak up. Raise your voice. Not just for me, but for all who are suffering in silence.
With hope, prayers, and love,
Yours truly,
Hammal Khan Baloch