Baloch Activist Demands Missing Father’s Return Or Death Certificate

A prominent Baloch human rights activist has published a deeply moving open letter marking the 17th anniversary of her father’s unresolved disappearance. Sammi Deen Baloch shared the emotional letter to highlight the ongoing crisis of enforced disappearances in Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province. Her father, Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch, a physician from the Khuzdar district of Balochistan, was allegedly taken into state custody on 28 June 2009 and has not been seen since.

The open letter issued a direct challenge to the Pakistani state establishment. After nearly two decades of psychological torment, the family are demanding an immediate resolution. Sammi wrote that her family have a fundamental right to know the truth, requesting either her father’s safe return or official state confirmation of his death.

A Daughter’s Plea to the State

The heart-wrenching text layout exposed the deep-seated trauma shared by thousands of families in the region. Addressing the authorities, Sammi pleaded for an end to the endless cycle of judicial delays. She requested that if her father is still alive, he should be permitted to return home, but if he has been killed, the state must issue a formal death certificate rather than another rescheduled court hearing.

Reflecting on her stolen childhood, Sammi stated that her life had been defined by state denial, institutional erasure, and constant humiliation. She noted that since the state separated her from her father, she has been forced to carry the lifelong burden of simply loving him.

Local advocacy groups and international human rights watchdogs consistently allege that the Pakistani military and its premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), are responsible for orchestrating these clandestine abductions to suppress political dissent. Conversely, the federal government in Islamabad has routinely denied these claims, often attributing the disappearances to active militant factions operating along the porous border regions.

Advocacy in the Face of State Retaliation

Despite systemic intimidation, Sammi Deen Baloch has risen to become the general secretary of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP). Over the last decade, she has been at the forefront of organising rallies, leading long-distance protest marches, providing legal counsel to affected families, and raising global awareness regarding human rights violations in Balochistan. Her outspoken activism has made her a target for state authorities, resulting in multiple arbitrary arrests, pervasive surveillance, and ongoing institutional harassment.

The international human rights organisation Front Line Defenders recently expressed unconditional solidarity with Sammi’s campaign. The group issued a formal appeal to the Pakistani government, demanding the immediate disclosure of Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch’s whereabouts and calling for a transparent, independent investigation into all reported cases of enforced disappearances across the country.

Sammi concluded her letter with a poignant reminder of her father’s humanity, stating that Dr Deen Mohammad was neither a static bureaucratic file nor a passing rumour. He was a dedicated medical professional, a husband, and a loving father who belonged wholly to his family before he was taken away.