Quetta : Sammi Deen Baloch, a well-known activist for Baloch rights, issued a video statement announcing a significant press conference scheduled for Friday at the Karachi Press Club. The conference aims to focus on the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Sammi released the video with the message, saying "On the completion of fifteen years of my father's illegal and forceful abduction, we will hold a press conference at Karachi Press Club tomorrow at 4:30 pm, we request all media persons to join us and highlight our issue."
Sammi Baloch is a prominent Baloch activist known for advocating for the rights of the Baloch people, particularly in the context of alleged human rights abuses and enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
She has been vocal about highlighting issues faced by the Baloch community, including political repression and socio-economic challenges. According to reports, Sammi Baloch's father, Deen Mohammad Baloch, forcibly disappeared when she was only 11 years old.
In June 2009, armed forces raided a public hospital in southwestern Balochistan where he was working as a doctor and took him into custody. To this day, Sammi Baloch and her family have no information about him.
In the video message Sammi said, Over the past 15 years, despite our relentless efforts, we have been unable to obtain any information about my father. Throughout numerous changes in government, promises made by authorities have consistently proven to be untrue."
On X, Baloch Voice for Justice, an advocacy group that supports the rights and justice for the Baloch people, backing Sammi stated, "The case of Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch is a stark reminder of the ongoing injustice of enforced disappearances. We cannot stay silent while families endure years of uncertainty. Join Sammi Baloch on June 28 at Karachi press club."
In Balochistan, thousands of families are enduring the anguish of not knowing the fate or whereabouts of their missing loved ones.
This situation is a result of enforced disappearances, where individuals are taken into custody by security forces or unknown groups without legal process or disclosure of their location.
The uncertainty surrounding these disappearances has left many families in a state of distress and desperation, as they continue to seek answers and justice amidst ongoing challenges and governmental promises that have often gone unfulfilled.