April 15, 2025
Staff Report
KARACHI
Just days after Baloch activist Ayaz Abdul Majeed participated in a protest in Toronto, Canada, condemning the detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other Baloch activists, his family in Karachi has once again become the target of intimidation by mysterious individuals.
Sources within the family confirmed that on the night of April 14, unidentified armed individuals, who came in a black SUV, raided the Lyari home of Majeed’s sister-in-law, Sabra Sajid, and subjected her to renewed harassment and questioning about his whereabouts.
This latest incident echoes a similar terrifying raid that occurred on December 23rd of last year, where the same residence was stormed by men demanding Majeed’s immediate “recovery” while he was visiting from abroad.
According to Sabra Sajid, approximately four to five men in plain clothes arrived at her apartment in the evening. They reportedly did not force entry this time but were aggressive and accusatory in their demeanor.
“They came asking about Ayaz again,” she recounted. “They wanted to know if he had been in touch, when he might return, and what he was doing abroad. They seemed particularly agitated about his participation in the Canada protest.”
Sabra stated that the men showed her photographs, purportedly taken from online sources, of Majeed at the Toronto demonstration where several activists had voiced their concerns over human rights violations in Balochistan and demanded the release of detained Baloch leaders.
“They accused me of knowing his plans and threatened me with dire consequences if they found that I was withholding any information,” she said, her voice trembling with fear. “They reminded me of what happened last time and implied it could be worse.”
The timing of this latest raid, so soon after Majeed’s public participation in the Canadian protest, has intensified concerns among Baloch activists and human rights organizations regarding the surveillance and intimidation tactics employed against those who speak out against alleged state abuses.
Meanwhile, Ayaz Abdul Majeed, who fled Pakistan in December following the initial raid, expressed his profound distress and anger upon learning about the renewed harassment of his sister-in-law – his late brother’s widow.
“This is a clear message intended to silence me and intimidate my family,” Majeed stated from an undisclosed location. “My participation in a peaceful protest in Canada, highlighting the urgent human rights situation in Balochistan, should not result in the further torment of my innocent relatives.”
He believes this latest incident is a direct consequence of his activism and his vocal support for the Baloch cause, as evidenced by the intruders’ specific mention of the Canada protest.
“This is a reprehensible act of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent and punishing individuals for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression,” stated a local activist and friend of Ayaz’s, who had known about. “The Pakistani authorities must cease these tactics of targeting the families of activists and be held accountable for such actions.”
The incident underscores the precarious situation faced by Baloch activists and their families, both within Pakistan and abroad. It raises serious questions about the extent of surveillance and the lengths to which intelligence agencies are allegedly willing to go to suppress Baloch voices advocating for justice and basic rights.
In December 2020, human rights activist, 37 year old Karima Baloch was found dead suddenly and mysteriously. Karima had been granted asylum in Canada in 2016 after her work as a human rights activist resulted in her being followed and threatened by the authorities.
In the same year, in May, journalist who focused on human rights violations in Balochistan, Sajid Hussain, who was found living in exile in Sweden was also found dead in a river, one month after he went missing. Hussain had sought asylum after threats were made constantly to his life in Pakistan.
Friends and activists who stand in solidarity with Ayaz Majeed expressed their fear for his and his family’s safety, and said that those responsible must back down.