February 26, 2026
By Xari Jalil
Additional Reporting by Shaukat Korai
KARACHI
The air hangs heavy, sodden with a mother’s tears and a father’s grief. As the coffin is shouldered toward the grave, and the body is lowered into the ground, the finality of the moment strikes the bereaved family: they would never see their son ever again. This sorrow belongs not just to them, but to a community that knew him, and knew of him. Yet in the eyes of the state, Hamdan Baloch was a mere ‘terrorist’.
A strange silence weighs down. There seems to be a quiet defiance shared by those who have seen too many fathers and brothers and sons being carried in the same way.
The case unfolded on December 29, 2025 when 24-year-old Hamdan Baloch was picked up by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel from the Dhobi Ghat Bridge. The family says that the boy, was a student, but even after he was picked up, his detention was not formally acknowledged until January 6, 2026.
The CTD held a press conference where they claimed to have arrested Hamdan – and others – from a locality called Raees Goth, on suspicion of affiliation and facilitation for a banned militant organisation. These were serious terrorism charges but which the family has repeatedly rejected.
Hamdan had already appeared in court twice and was to have his third appearance on Wednesday February 18, on the completion of his physical remand. Instead the news they received was of his death in a police ‘encounter’.
CTD claims
The Counter Terrorism Department has a different version of events. In a press statement they stated that that when CTD officials raided a house in Shah Latif Town, which was a terrorist hideout. Upon reaching the place, ‘the men inside the house opened fire on the CTD officials, who then retaliated, leading to the deaths of four suspects.’ According to the CTD the suspects belonged to the Bashir Zeb group of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) or ‘Fitna al-Hindustan’ as the State refers to the militant organization.
After his 50 days in custody, on February 17, the CTD announced that Hamdan was among several individuals killed during an armed encounter in Shah Latif Town. Authorities claimed the deceased were militants who died in an exchange of fire. But because Hamdan had already been in custody this raises serious concerns regarding the circumstances and credibility of the alleged encounter.
Muhammad Ali, Hamdan’s father, vehemently denies that his son had any involvement with any terror outfit. He says that he has already moved an application with the Director FIA Karachi Zone, DG FIA and NCHR under Section 5 of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022.
“The CTD and local police are hiding the true facts – they are responsible for the killing of my innocent son,” says the petition. “This was a “fake encounter” and an extra-judicial killing.”
Meanwhile the post mortem report is to be expected. According to the family’s counsel, Jibran Nasir, who is waiting for the petition to be admitted for hearing and for notices to be issued, the police in whose custody a detainee is killed, is bound to inform the nearest magistrate to initiate proceedings under 176 CrPC. The court has already summoned a report from the concerned official of the CTD, he informed.
“As per record which has come to light, the post mortem was conducted on 17 Feb in presence of Judicial Magistrate XI Malir however the report has not been provided to the family as yet,” he said.
Meanwhile in an earlier interview, Muhammad Ali told Voicepk that the family had been running from pillar to post but could find no justice in any form.
“When my son was picked up, I went to the Pak Colony Police Station to file a report, but for three days they did not even file the report,’ said Muhammad Ali. “They told me ‘he must have gone somewhere’. They knew who had abducted him, but didn’t they tell me. Later after I filed a petition seeking my missing son’s whereabouts, i was told that he was in Central Jail. I had also found out that he had had two appearances as well. I went there on one of these appearances but found that he was surrounded by armed vehicles – a bullet proof, and eight other vehicles both in front of him and behind him. They kept requesting for remand. Then on February 17 I found out my son was killed in an encounter that same day.”
He questions what he says are lies being fed to them.
“Why was he killed? He was in their custody for more than a month. Basically, they had already killed him during custodial torture, and then they didn’t have a choice, so they posed it as an encounter killing,” he says. “My son was no terrorist. I also do not trust the post mortem report that they have conducted.”
Jameela, Hamdan’s mother has been in pieces every since the news of her son’s killing reached her.
“I ran after the vehicle carrying my son, but they did not let me even look at him,” she said, her voice wavering. “I know everyone must die, but I could not even see him, or hold him, or even give one teaspoon of water to him during his last days. They asked us to sign a form saying he was a terrorist. Why should we say he was a terrorist? He was studying. He never offended anyone – ask any of the neighbours. He didn’t even have a Rupee on him. They should come and see our house – if this is the house of a terrorist then surely call us terrorists!”
Sammi Deen Baloch also spoke to Voicepk after attending Hamdan’s funeral.
“The point to be noted is that as we see in Balochistan that on a daily basis, there are thousands of such cases that are not presented in the courts. People are being killed in fake encounters, and so are their relatives,” she said. “But whenever we protest against these fake encounters, the authorities get upset and say what evidence do you have? Well the biggest evidence in Hamdan Baloch’s case is that he was presented to the court himself, he was in police custody, and after his remand he was being taken to jail. Despite this, he was killed in an encounter.”
Sammi Deen mentions the extra-judicial action by authorities and questions, the law enforcement personnel. “Don’t the CTD or the state authorities, understand the judicial process? Do they consider their decisions to be above the court? Even after this, you can see that the state authorities have been given leeway.
The whole situation proves that even if someone is presented to the court, the state authorities consider themselves above the law.”
Sammi also points out that the extent of extrajudicial killings have gone beyond the limit.
“Yesterday, there was an incident in Panjgur,” she says. “Every day people are being killed in Balochistan like this. It is systematic repression of the Baloch community in the guise of counter-insurgency, or counter terrorism. Ordinary innocent citizens, are being abducted and killed.”
She said that over the last two weeks, more than dozens of targeted, extrajudicial killings have been reported. Yet no action has been taken by the government.
“They make these fake encounters are public through the mainstream media,” she said. “The state can go and fight the terrorists. But when ordinary people are taken from their homes and kept in custody, after which they are killed, they cannot tell us they have fought terrorists.”
Meanwhile, Dur Bibi a human rights activist criticised the way Hamdan’s funeral was surrounded by the police.
“His funeral was surrounded by police mobiles and plainclothes officers,” she said. “The women of the family were weeping, and the officers were actually filming them. His mother, who was grieving over her son, was told to hurry up and end the funeral. Is this what accountability looks like in Pakistan?”
Journalist Alifia Sohail who was in constant touch with the family told Voicepk that the most tragic aspect was that for eight days Hamdan’s body was not even shown to the family.
“Every single day, till dusk, his father would request the morgue to show him the body but they would refuse,” she said. “They would tell him; here is a picture of it. That is all the family could see for the past week.”