“The resolve of our mothers and sisters (Lumma Eed Taa Juhd Pahek),” she chanted loudly, her voice reverberating through the Shawani Stadium in Quetta – the capital and largest city of Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Thousands of Baloch men and women echoed: “Ours will be the glory, the glory will be ours (Soub Nana ea, Soub Nana ea).” The speaker is a young Baloch woman, her gaze resolute, face veiled, voice powerful and steady. She is Dr. Sabiha Baloch, addressing the crowd upon the arrival of the historic Baloch March from Islamabad.
Though the marchers returned empty-handed, without their missing loved ones, Sabiha poured hope into their hearts. Then the chairperson of Balochistan’s largest student political organization, the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC), and now a central organizer within the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, Dr. Sabiha has faced a journey marked by significant adversity.
Political activism in Balochistan faces significant threats due to broader issues in the region, making it particularly challenging, but her activism unfolds against a backdrop of serious accusations against the Pakistani state, which human rights organizations say is responsible for widespread extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Balochistan. These abuses allegedly target a broad swath of society, including activists, political figures, and student leaders, many of whom have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearances, abductions, arbitrary arrests, and various forms of torture and mistreatment.
A step beyond tradition
Dr Sabiha hails from the Zarrakzai tribe1, rooted in Zawa, a village in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan. Her fierce struggle and journey as a Baloch woman and a leader began during her school days. During her matriculation studies, she excelled at a science fair, winning top honors at district and provincial levels. But as the competition advanced to the national stage, she was required to travel to Karachi – Pakistan’s metropolitan city in Sindh province. Bound by traditional tribal customs, her family firmly believed that “girls do not go outside,” forbidding her from making the trip. Despite her persistent pleas and numerous attempts to change their minds, her efforts proved futile. Disheartened, she ultimately made the painful decision to abandon her studies.
Growing up in a remote village, she balanced cattle herding and planting crops with her determination to study independently. For months, she pursued learning on her own, unable to enroll in college. Her resolve was tested when she picked up the novel White Island (Safed Jazeera) by Naseem Hijazi, a work from nearly 50 years ago. Struggling to understand even a single paragraph—an effort that took her two months—she realized the depth of her challenges with comprehension. This eye-opening experience reignited her commitment to education, prompting her to enroll in a college in Khuzdar.
The college, however, lacked adequate teaching facilities, leaving her and many others struggling to keep up. Encouraged by friends attending a well-regarded academy, she faced a tough choice. Financial constraints made joining seem impossible at first, but determined to advance, she started tutoring other students in the mornings to cover the costs. With this support, she enrolled in Professor Abdul Razaq Zehri’s science academy in Khuzdar, taking a pivotal step forward in her education.
Professor Razaq was initially reluctant to accept her because she was from the Zarrakzai tribe, where no one had studied before. However, after much insistence, he agreed to take her in. Within six months, she excelled in her studies and became one of his favorite students. “When I was prevented from attending the science fair, I thought my journey had ended. After 6 months of stopping my studies, I realized I was wrong and resumed my education,” recalls Dr Sabiha. “I learned to control my fear and make decisions, and I would say that no matter what happens in life, it’s essential to keep moving forward.”
The Academy
The ‘kill and dump’ policy against the Baloch began in 2009, targeting Baloch students, student leaders, teachers, activists, political nationalists, journalists, and intellectuals who were actively educating the Baloch community. Khuzdar’s political conditions deteriorated rapidly in that period, with daily enforced disappearances and dumped bodies becoming a grim norm. The chaos affected local institutions, including the academy, which frequently shut down. “There were weeks when schools and academies were closed,” she recalls, “because every day, we had a body to bury.”
On 25 January 2014, over 200 mass graves were discovered at Totak in Khuzdar, believed to contain the remains of missing persons. The academy eventually closed its doors after Professor Abdul Razaq Zehri was targeted and killed on 11 July 2013, in Khuzdar. After his assassination, students stopped attending, and teachers left the academy.
Professor Razaq emerged from a very small area to earn an Economics degree at Balochistan University. “As a lecturer at the Boys College Khuzdar, instead of focusing on his own life, he decided to bring about an educational revolution in Khuzdar by establishing the National Science Academy,” Dr Sabiha recalled.
“He always reminded us, ‘You all come from a subjugated community. If you don’t work hard and educate yourselves, you are nothing but a burden.’ To me, he was more than a teacher; he was like a spiritual father. Twenty days before his martyrdom, he informed us that he had received death threats from a death squad, but he wouldn’t close the academy because thousands of futures depended on it. ‘Boys will go elsewhere to study, but girls will remain. Professor told us.'”
After Prof Razaq’s killing everyone was left shocked. “However, I recalled his words that the academy should not close,” she notes. The death squad had threatened that if the academy reopened, they would kill everyone. “Yet, our teacher’s dream was more important to us than our lives,” Dr Sabiha underlines.
After the killing of Prof Razaq, the academy was shut for more than two weeks. Dr Sabiha reached out to three of her female friends, and with their agreement, she contacted a teacher who also agreed to return. Fifteen days later, a watchman, a teacher, and the four students reconvened. “The watchman opened the academy gate, and we all entered the classroom, waiting for something terrible to happen. But nothing happened,” she recounts.
The Burden of Memories
Dr. Sabiha recalls her first day of class as an indelible memory. The room was heavy with silence; four students and their teacher sat with heads bowed, avoiding each other’s gaze. Then, without warning, the teacher began to weep, unleashing a wave of emotion that spread through the room. One by one, the students joined in, their quiet sobs soon swelling into a collective, uncontrollable cry. Despite the turmoil that marked those early days, moments like this forged a powerful bond among them, giving strength amid the chaos. “My teacher’s cry still echoes in my ears.” Days passed and despite this emotional start, the academy gradually became functional again. Students who were seniors began teaching and this continued.
The assassination of Sir Razaq ignited a profound hatred within her toward the state and the ‘death squads’ it had created. “I was just 16 when Sir Razaq was killed,” she recalled. “The following year, mass graves were discovered in Totak, at the very site where the death squad’s camp had been stationed.” The area, known as Mayyi, lay between her home region of Zawa and Totak and had been a no-go zone for two years. Determined to see the place for herself, she and her sisters set out on foot, walking 8 to 10 kilometers to reach the grim site. “The stench was unbearable, and we quickly found the spot where the bodies had been exhumed,” she said. The ground was ringed with lime, a stark marker of the graves. Nearby, scattered bullet shells littered the ground near the mountains, a haunting reminder of where the death squad members had once aimed.
Dr. Sabiha’s younger sister began digging at the mass grave with a piece of metal, unearthing a human vertebra. The discovery was horrifying; she screamed, shaken by the sight. “I placed the vertebra on a handkerchief and picked it up, deeply emotional at the thought that this bone was waiting for someone,” Dr. Sabiha recalled. “Their mothers must have been hoping their sons would come back alive. I couldn’t tell if they had been buried alive or killed.” After a moment of silent reflection, she gently returned the vertebra to the earth, placing it under a stone on the mountain as a small act of reverence.
Stepping into politics or perhaps fire
The assassination of her mentor was a pivotal moment in Dr. Sabiha’s life, shaping her into the person she is today. After completing her intermediate studies (FSc) at the academy, she moved to Quetta, where she excelled in the Bolan Medical College entrance exam, securing third place. In 2016, she became actively involved in Baloch student politics, a decision that would soon define her public life.
By 2018, Dr. Sabiha had ascended to the role of Vice Chairperson of the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC), an organization focused on organizing, unifying, and politicizing Baloch students across Pakistan in their fight for rights. Her activism soon attracted attention. In 2019, after publishing an article titled, “Direct the Protest, Sir” on the University of Balochistan (UoB) scandal, she received her first direct threat.
In her piece, she claimed that the issue of sexual harassment on campus was not isolated but rather a symptom of deeper structural oppression in a colonized society, implicating military personnel. “They have installed surveillance cameras in the university,” she wrote, “that not only harass girls but also profile boys, leading to their abductions.” Her bold critique highlighted the pervasive culture of intimidation faced by students under surveillance in a region.
Dr. Sabiha received threats from military intelligence (MI), relayed through the deputy commissioner (name withheld for security reasons). Screenshots of her article and her “X” (formerly Twitter) bio, identifying her as the vice-chairperson of the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC), were sent to a family member (relation withheld for privacy). The message stated that her political involvement was a source of “shame” for her tribe. Her family member was warned that her brother would be forcibly disappeared and she killed if she continued her activism.
As news of her political engagement spread, she faced mounting harassment from both her tribe and family. Despite these threats and intense pressure, she remained steadfast, and in 2021, she rose to the position of Chairperson of BSAC. With this role, she became the second Baloch woman to lead a student political organization, following in the footsteps of Banuk Karima Baloch.
A family member was repeatedly pressured to convince her to resign, but she refused. Eventually, this family member received another threat, and three days later, her brother was forcibly disappeared on 18 June 2021, from his hostel room at Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology (BUETK) in Khuzdar, where he was studying engineering. Although her brother was eventually released, he could not continue his education.
When Dr. Sabiha’s brother was forcibly disappeared, two other events deeply impacted her. Around that time, she came across a news report detailing the discovery of eight mutilated bodies in Mastung, believed to be the victims of a staged encounter. While she was in Quetta, her younger sister called from Zawa with the news that their maternal grandfather had passed away. However, after hanging up, Sabiha found herself unable to shake the feeling that her family might be concealing the truth—that the bodies in Mastung could include her brother, not her grandfather. This fear pushed her to consider an extreme response: she began planning to go to Islamabad and stage a public self-immolation as a protest against the silence surrounding her brother’s disappearance.
Her sister continued to call, trying to reassure her that it truly was their grandfather who had passed, finally sending a photo to confirm it. “I loved my grandfather deeply, but with everything happening to my brother, I was hardly given time to mourn,” she recounts.
While her brother was detained for five months, Sabiha faced constant pressure to resign from student politics and end her activism. But she held firm. “If I gave in and resigned,” she explained, “it would set a trend of blackmail that would haunt the young women following in this struggle against injustice.”
Following these events, Dr. Sabiha remained silent and worked behind the scenes with BSAC, avoiding media appearances. In 2023, after her tenure with BSAC ended, she actively participated in the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). “I wanted to do a lot for the people around me, and the solution to all their problems was linked to politics. I did not choose politics; politics chose me so that I could try to address the issues of my people,” she underscores.
Dr. Sabiha’s perseverance
She led a historic march against extrajudicial killings in Balochistan from Turbat to Quetta after 23-year-old Balach Mola Baksh was killed in a fake encounter by the state’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). Balach’s body was placed in Turbat as a form of protest by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, and after six days, he was set to be buried.
This protest was led by Dr. Sabiha and Sebghat Abdul Haq of BYC. Hundreds of Baloch men and women, including Zikri and Nemazi sects2, gathered at the funeral. Dr. Sabiha delivered a speech at Koh-e-Murad, a sacred site for the Zikri community since Balach belonged to this sect. Following this, she faced religious backlash and pressure from family and tribe to return home under threat of death. Pakistani media accounts openly threatened her and her brother on Twitter.
In June 2024, just a month before the Baloch Raaji Muchi (Baloch National Gathering), she was beaten and arrested during a protest in Quetta demanding the safe release of a forcibly disappeared person. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Quetta warned her that she had now come “into their hands,” stating: “We have been searching for you since your protest in Turbat.”
BYC announced Baloch Raaji Muchi, in Gwadar for uniting the Baloch against killings and disappearances. However, the state responded with violence, firing on civilians across Balochistan, resulting in the deaths of four Baloch individuals. From July 28 to 29, the Frontier Corps (Pakistan’s paramilitary force) used violence in Gwadar, but the protests continued. On July 29, the violence escalated, and the whereabouts of many participants and BYC members were unknown. Dr. Sabiha bravely held a press conference regarding the sit-in protest on 30th July, even though she knew that the house where she was staying in Gwadar had been damaged by the FC searching for her. After this press conference, the sit-in again resumed for more than 10 days.
“The most fear I felt was on the day of the shooting in Mastung on July 27, when we were certain we would be killed the next day,” She recalls. The following day, her fears materialized as they stood before the public on Marine Drive in Gwadar, urging the protesters to remain peaceful, only to be met with indiscriminate firing from the Frontier Corps. “The sense of fear was overwhelming, but it was nothing compared to the feeling I hold in my heart for my people,” she said. “This national sentiment gave me the courage to move forward despite the fear.”
On the day of the press conference, “we had just returned from a brutal crackdown, yet our people remained hopeful that we would return,” she asserts. “To break that hope would be worse than death. I would prefer to physically die in front of my people than to die morally in their eyes.”
During the Baloch Raaji Muchi, both her father and brother were charged with fake FIRs, and her house in Zawa was raided. Despite these attempts to intimidate her, she continued her activism and later faced accusations of blasphemy for remarks made during her speech on 12 August 2024, in Quetta, where she acknowledged the significant sacrifices made by the Baloch people. “These accounts that were active against me were state-sponsored; they spread hatred towards peaceful activists to deter our struggle,” she stated.
Now a Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS), a practicing cardiologist, and a prominent leader within the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Dr. Baloch stands unwavering in her commitment. “My motivation comes from a deep-seated hatred for the oppressive system forced upon us,” she says. “I truly believe there’s no other way to break free. If we don’t fight back, not only will life worsen, but we may never even understand why we died.”
Despite moments of vulnerability, Dr. Sabiha feels driven to act. “Though I feel weak at times, I have no other option. I cannot remain silent. I understand that even by doing nothing, I will have to endure; so, at the very least, I will endure through action.”
- The Zehri tribe is one of the largest and most powerful tribes in the Jhalawan region of Balochistan, and the Zarakzai are a subgroup within it. Among the Baloch tribes, the Zehri hold significant influence, particularly in Jhalawan. Powerful tribes, such as the Zehri, often follow the sardari nizam (chieftain system), with the Zarakzai overseeing the Zehri tribe under this system. In the sardari structure, the Sardar (chief) manages community matters and disputes. Balochistan’s tribal structure has traditionally operated through hierarchical leadership, strong kinship ties, and customary laws known as Balochi Riwaj. These tribes have historically managed their own internal affairs through a system of local governance led by tribal chiefs (known as Sardars or Tumandars), who play a significant role in decision-making and dispute resolution. ↩︎
- In Balochistan, the Zikri and Nemazi communities represent two different religious groups within the region’s cultural and spiritual landscape. Both have distinct beliefs and practices, though they share ethnic and geographic roots. The Zikri community is an Islamic group with a unique set of beliefs and practices, primarily concentrated in southern Balochistan. They are the followers of Imam Mahdi. (the awaited savior in Islamic eschatology). Zikris practice a form of devotional worship known as zikr (remembrance of God), which includes distinct rituals and prayers that set them apart from mainstream Islamic practices. Their most sacred site is the Koh-e-Murad in Turbat, where thousands of Zikris gather annually for pilgrimage. The Nemazi sect refers to Muslims who follow more traditional, Sunni Islam practices, particularly focusing on performing the five daily namaz (prayers), which is a key pillar of Islam. ↩︎
[…] and Sebghat Abdul Haq of BYC. Hundreds of Baloch men and women, including Zikri and Nemazi sects2, gathered at the funeral. Dr. Sabiha delivered a speech at Koh-e-Murad, a sacred site for […]