Sammi Deen Baloch Fights for Her Disappeared Father in Balochistan
Karachi [Pakistan], June 29: Sammi Deen Baloch, a well-known human rights activist from Balochistan, held a significant press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday. The event aimed to bring attention to the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, Pakistan. This press conference marked 15 years since the enforced disappearance of her father, Dr. Deen Mohammad, a fellow human rights activist who was taken by the Pakistan Army on June 28, 2009, while working as a doctor in Haurnaach, Khuzdar.
During the press conference, Sammi Deen Baloch shared her ongoing struggle to find her father. She expressed her frustration with the silence of the administration and the Pakistani defense forces, which has caused immense suffering for her family. She said, “I cannot even express how each day passes for me and my family. The issue of enforced disappearances is a mass punishment that the administration has chosen for the Baloch community. The administration thought that if they abduct the men of our society, the lives of women will be miserable, and we will slowly die both physically and mentally.”
Despite the challenges, Sammi Deen Baloch remains determined to continue her fight against the Pakistani administration. She stated, “But we are still fighting and are not hopeless, as we still have hope for our people. This hope keeps us alive and makes us fight for our loved ones and our rights. My family has spent 15 years, if the administration still wants to keep us away from our loved ones, then we are ready to continue our struggles but we will not lose hope and give up. The rulers have tried all their tactics to force us to give up.”
Sammi also highlighted the lack of support from the courts and authorities, who have made no efforts to resolve the matter. She said, “They have questioned and tortured us for our forcibly disappeared brethren. And now we are fed up with giving them the answers to the same questions time and time again. But I want to clarify one thing: I will fight for my father in any court to get him back.”
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) also raised the issue, stating in a post on ‘X’, “Enforced disappearance is not just a crime against a single nation, individual, or family; it is a crime against all of humanity. Dr. Deen Muhammad Baloch, the central leader of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has been forcibly disappeared and in the custody of the Pakistan Army for the past 15 years. He was forcibly taken on June 28, 2009, by the Pakistan Army after being detained while on duty in Haurnaach, Khuzdar District. Bringing Dr. Deen Muhammad home and holding the perpetrators accountable is imperative for justice and humanity.”
