Families of the forcibly disappeared Syed Hussain Shah and his son, Syed Akhtar Shah, have blocked the Quetta-Karachi highway for over 12 hours, demanding their safe release. The protest at Midway has paralyzed traffic, stranding hundreds of passengers and freight vehicles in freezing temperatures. Yet, true to their characteristic apathy, Pak authorities have neither initiated dialogue nor shown the slightest concern for the suffering of the protesters or stranded travelers.
Syed Hussain Shah, an elderly man, was abducted along with over 40 others during a brutal military operation in Kalat’s Eskeleko area just days ago. Pak forces reportedly besieged the region, raiding homes, abducting residents, and violating the sanctity of private spaces—a gross transgression of human rights that has become the norm under Pakistan’s colonial approach towards POB. Locals recounted horrifying tales of violence, with residents beaten, confined to their homes, and their dignity trampled upon.
Quetta-Karachi Highway Paralyzed
Two months ago, the same forces abducted Hussain Shah’s son, Syed Akhtar Shah, during a raid on their home in Kalat’s Pendrani Abad. The family’s ordeal, like countless others, has been met with complete silence from Pak authorities.
The protest is marked by the participation of women and children, their anguish piercing through the cold air. They demand the immediate release of their loved ones or, at the very least, their production in a court of law. But justice, it seems, is a concept foreign to the Paki establishment when it comes to the Baloch people. The protesters have vowed not to reopen the highway until the disappeared individuals are safely returned.
This wave of enforced disappearances is part of Pakistan’s long-standing campaign to crush the Baloch community. The Army has weaponized abductions, extrajudicial killings, and intimidation to silence the voices that demand dignity and autonomy. The Pak Army, notorious for its colonial mindset, continues to treat the resource-rich region as a colony, looting its wealth while subjecting its people to abject misery. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has backed the protest, urging human rights organizations worldwide to intervene and break their deafening silence.