A young journalist and student, Zubair Baloch, was reportedly abducted by Pakistani forces during a late-night raid in Hub Chowki, Balochistan. His family and supporters have staged protests—including blocking the CPEC Highway—demanding his immediate release.
According to Zubair’s sister, armed men in a Vigo vehicle stormed their house at 3 a.m. on Sunday, forcibly taking her brother. “We don’t know where he has been taken or why he was targeted,” she said.
Zubair, a resident of Tijaban in Turbat, holds a Political Science degree from Balochistan University and formerly worked for the Balochistan newspaper Intekhab. He was visiting Hub Chowki during his holidays when he was allegedly abducted.
Protests and Public Outcry
In response to Zubair’s disappearance, his family and supporters blocked the CPEC highway and staged protests in Hub Bypass and Hoshap. Protesters have called on local communities to join the sit-ins, warning that demonstrations will continue indefinitely unless their demands are met.
Speaking at a press conference alongside members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) Hub Zone, Zubair’s family condemned the rising incidents of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
“This plague has affected every Baloch household,” they said. “Today, it is our brother; tomorrow, it could be someone else’s son or father.”
The family has issued a three-day ultimatum to authorities to recover Zubair safely. “If this does not happen, we will escalate our protest and adopt stricter measures,” they warned.
Pattern of Repression in Balochistan
Zubair’s disappearance adds to a growing list of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and instances of collective punishment in Balochistan. The family alleges his abduction is part of a systematic campaign that has drawn condemnation from human rights groups.
The BYC expressed grave concerns about Zubair’s safety, stating on X: “Given the recent pattern in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances often end in staged encounters and extrajudicial killings, we are deeply concerned that Zubair may face a similar fate at the hands of the state.”
Prominent activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch also criticized state policies, calling Balochistan a “colony of the Pakistani state, where oppression and brutality prevail instead of constitutional law. The policy of Baloch genocide is intensifying day by day.”
She highlighted similar ongoing protests across the region, including a sit-in at Fida Chowk in Turbat over the extrajudicial killing of Zareef Baloch and a 48-hour sit-in on the main highway in Kalat by the family of Akhtar Shah, braving temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius.
“All of Balochistan is currently protesting for the fundamental right to live on its own land,” Dr. Baloch added.
The family of Zubair Baloch urged the Baloch people to stand united against these injustices.
“If we remain silent today, this oppression will continue unchecked. We must raise our voices to send a clear message to the state: We will not remain silent,” they said.
Protesters have also appealed to human rights organizations and the international community to take urgent notice of the situation in Balochistan and to press for accountability and justice.