Pakistan: Protest for safe return of Baloch abduction victim amplifies in Balochistan
Jul 05, 2024
Quetta [Paksitan], July 5 : The sit-in organised in front of the Quetta Press Club to demand the safe return of forcibly abducted Zaheer Baloch entered its third day on Thursday, The Balochistan Post (TBP), a local news source from Balochistan reported.
The victim's family demonstrated at the Sariab area of Quetta by blocking the road. However, the protest has now gained significant attention through the participation of several Baloch rights organisations.
Leader of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) Agha Zubair Shah and other PTM members visited the protest location. Shah among these leaders was arrested a few days ago and was released on Wednesday night.
According to The Balochistan Post report Zaheer was abducted from Quetta by the Pakistani forces. At a press conference held in Quetta last Friday, Zaheer's wife pleaded for his immediate and safe recovery. She also issued a warning to hold large-scale demonstrations in support of missing people in Balochistan alongside the regional organisations. 
Previously, a demonstration calling for Zaheer's safe release was staged in Quetta. Leading the demonstration was well-known Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The demonstrations also witnessed the participation of Quetta locals, kin of those who have gone missing.
The Balochistan Post report claimed that the negotiations between Zaheer's family and the local administration had failed, which as a result triggered a continuous sit-in protest from the kin of the missing individuals.
The demonstrators have also demanded that Zaheer Ahmed be brought before the court and an FIR must be filed against the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) for his forced disappearance.
Zaheer Baloch's wife, speaking to the media on Thursday, said her husband has been missing since June 27 and that they have been protesting for the past three days with no response from the authorities, the TBP report claimed.
