Families of forcibly disappeared Baloch individuals have once again blocked the Quetta-Karachi National Highway near Hub Bhawani, demanding the return of their loved ones. The protest has severely disrupted traffic, as grieving relatives refuse to back down against the Pakistan Army’s systematic abductions and enforced disappearances.
The protesters say they are resuming their sit-in after the Pak authorities failed to keep their promise of recovering the missing individuals. Last month, local officials had assured the families that their loved ones would be returned within 20 days. However, with no progress and yet another betrayal by the Paki establishment, the families have been forced to return to the streets in protest.
The number of protesting families has now risen to six, as more victims of enforced disappearances join the movement. The Pakistan Army’s kill-and-dump policy, which has long terrorized Pak-occupied-Balochistan, continues unchecked, with the military abducting civilians at will and leaving families in endless agony.
The same group of families had staged a similar protest last month at the same location, where they were given hollow assurances by the Deputy Commissioner’s representative. But the occupying-state’s complete indifference to their plight has only reinforced what Baloch activists have been saying for decades – that Pakistan treats POB as an occupied colony, using terror and abductions to silence voices demanding basic human rights.
The protesters have made it clear that they will not call off their sit-in until their loved ones are returned. They have accused the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies of orchestrating enforced disappearances and condemned the Paki establishment’s brutal suppression of Baloch voices.