A local court in Karachi has dismissed a case filed against Fauzia Shashani Baloch, a member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and several members of her family after they were detained by police during a protest over the alleged enforced disappearance of her brother Dad Shashani.
According to officials, the case was withdrawn following an order by a local magistrate, and those detained were subsequently released. Police had reportedly registered a case under Section 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, relating to sedition, according to a report in The Balochistan Post.
Fauzia Baloch was taken into custody on April 25 while on her way to meet journalists outside the Karachi Press Club. Her mother and other relatives who were accompanying her were also detained. Reports indicated that a total of seven people were taken into custody and moved to an undisclosed location.
The detentions occurred as the family sought to raise concerns over the disappearance of Dad Shashani, whom relatives allege was taken by Pakistani security forces from his home on April 21. His whereabouts remain unknown since then, according to the family.
Relatives said they had attempted to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) at a local police station regarding his disappearance, but their complaint was not accepted. They later went to the Karachi Press Club to publicly appeal for his recovery, where the arrests took place.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of those arrested, as well as information regarding Dad Shashani Baloch’s whereabouts. The group also appealed to international human rights organisations to monitor rights violations in Balochistan and Karachi.
Pakistani authorities have not commented on the family’s allegations concerning Dad Shashani’s disappearance.
Meanwhile, a man has reportedly gone missing in Balochistan, while eight individuals, including a woman, have been released following periods of alleged enforced disappearance, according to local sources and family statements.
In the Panjgur district, a resident identified as Alam, son of Sawali and a driver by profession from the Par Jahlag area, is said to have been taken into custody in the Chitkan area’s diesel market. According to local accounts, he was initially detained by an armed group locally described as a “death squad” allegedly operating with the support of state forces, before being handed over to the Pakistani military. His current whereabouts remain unknown, and there has been no official confirmation regarding his detention.
Separately, local sources have confirmed the release of eight individuals who had previously been reported as forcibly disappeared from different parts of Balochistan, including Kech, Khuzdar and Kharan districts. It is rare that individuals picked up by the security forces are released in this manner. Usually, they are kept in illegal custody for long periods during which they are tortured. More often than not, the individuals who have been subjected to enforced disappearances are shot and thrown in remote areas, far away from places where they may have been picked up.
Among those released are Zakriya, Abdul Basit, Abdeen, Riaz Ahmed, Maghfir Abid, and Mubarak Ali, who had been held for periods ranging from several weeks to over a year, according to the provided details. Most were reportedly released in late April 2026 in locations including Turbat and Kharan.
In Khuzdar district, a 24-year-old woman, Samina, a schoolteacher, was also among those released. She and a male student, Qambar, were reportedly taken by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel on 22 April before being freed the following night.
Family members of those released have confirmed their return home. However, human rights concerns regarding enforced disappearances in Balochistan continue to be raised by local observers, with calls for greater transparency and accountability remaining ongoing.
