Balochistan (Pakistan), May 5 (ANI): A protest sit-in outside Bolan Medical College in Quetta entered its 12th day on Sunday as family members and fellow students of nursing student Khadija Baloch continued to demand information about her whereabouts.
Relatives say Khadija was taken from the BMC hostel by personnel from Pakistani security forces, reportedly including the Frontier Corps and the Counter Terrorism Department, in the presence of other students. They allege she was forcibly removed and transported to an unknown location, and her whereabouts have remained unclear since.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said Khadija’s family has been holding the protest outside the college for nearly two weeks but there has been no progress in the case. In a post on X, the BYC said the family has faced repeated difficulties during the 12-day demonstration and accused authorities of harassing protesters instead of working to recover Khadija.
The BYC also alleged that participants were being photographed at the sit-in, that some were followed after leaving the site, and that attempts were made to detain demonstrators. The committee said such actions would not weaken the protest but would only strengthen it.
The group urged the state and the Balochistan government to stop what it described as collective punishment of Baloch students and to immediately ensure the release of Khadija and other missing female students from the region.
Enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan remain a significant human rights concern. Families often spend years searching for missing relatives, while activists repeatedly accuse security forces of illegal detentions and staged encounters. Despite ongoing protests and documentation by rights organisations, accountability has largely been lacking, and unresolved cases continue to fuel fear, anger and mistrust between the state and the Baloch community.
(ANI)
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