July 8, 2026
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
For the family of Saeed Ahmed Memon, a retired civil servant and Sindhi writer, every day since May 17, 2026, has been measured in dread. It has now been 52 days since armed men seized him on a highway in Balochistan, and his family says they are no closer to knowing whether he is alive or not, or where he is being held.
“Today marks the 52nd day since my father’s abduction, and there has been no communication or update from the investigating authorities,” said his son, Musawir Ahmed Memon, in an interview with Voicepk, describing the ordeal that has upended his family’s life and drawn appeals from writers, political parties, and rights defenders across Sindh.
An ambush on the highway
Memon, 61, was travelling near Zehri Naka in District Sorab, Balochistan, on the afternoon of May 17, 2026, when his journey turned into a nightmare.
“My father, Saeed Ahmed Memon, was abducted on 17 May 2026 at approximately 1:00 PM near Zehri Naka, District Sorab, Balochistan,” Musawir recounted. “We were all travelling in our car when four armed men in civilian clothes, arriving on motorcycles, and intercepted us on the main highway.”
According to Musawir, one of the gunmen forced his way into the vehicle and ordered the occupants to drive toward the nearby mountains. What followed was a tense, halting journey punctuated by the abductor’s communications with unseen accomplices via a device.
“He kept stopping the vehicle every 10–15 seconds to receive directions over a walkie-talkie,” Musawir said.
The situation broke into chaos when Syed Immad, a licensed weapon holder travelling with the family, took action.
“Syed Immad, who was travelling with us, used his licensed personal weapon to shoot the armed man inside the vehicle,” Musawir said. “At that moment, my father opened the car door.”
But the moment of possible escape turned to tragedy. “Before he could get back into the vehicle, the remaining abductors reached the car,” Musawir said. “To prevent everyone in the vehicle from being captured, the driver immediately drove away from the scene, but left my father behind in the custody of the abductors.”
It is a memory Musawir has now recounted many times to police, journalists, and rights workers — each retelling a reminder of how close, and how far, his father’s rescue had been.
A case stalled
An FIR was registered soon after at the CTD Khuzdar police station, filed on the complaint of Altaf Hussain, Station House Officer of Saddar Sohrab Police Station. But for the Memon family, that registration marked the high point of official engagement rather than the start of a serious investigation.
“Since then, there has been no meaningful progress in the investigation,” Musawir said. “The family has not received any substantive update regarding my father’s whereabouts or the efforts being made to secure his recovery.”
Communication from investigators, he said, effectively ended almost as soon as it began. “The police investigation team last contacted our family on the first day after the abduction,” he said.
The family has not limited its appeals to the local police. “Our family has approached almost every relevant senior police official and government authority seeking assistance,” Musawir said. “Unfortunately, despite repeated meetings and requests, we have received only verbal assurances. No practical cooperation or visible progress has been made, and we still do not know whether my father is safe.”
When contacted for this report, Babar Yousafzai, an aide in the Balochistan Home Department, did not respond to queries regarding Mr. Memon’s case.
Family, activists hold demonstrations
Unable to secure answers through official channels, the family and its supporters have turned to the streets. Public protests and appeals have been organized in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Naushahro Feroze, with civil society members joining calls for Memon’s safe recovery.
“Public protests and appeals have been organized at the Karachi Press Club in late May and early June 2026,” Musawir said. “Numerous additional protests have also been held in Hyderabad and Naushahro Feroze, with members of civil society participating in support of my father’s safe recovery.”
Yet these gatherings have gone largely unanswered by those with the power to act. “Unfortunately, no politicians, ministers, police officials, or other government representatives have attended these protests or engaged with the protesters,” Musawir said.
The Sindh Taraqqi-Pasand Party (STPP) has been among the most vocal political voices raising the issue. At a news conference at the Hyderabad Press Club in June, STP Vice Chairman Hyder Shahani and Dr. Soomar Mangrio said the party’s leadership had contacted Balochistan-based political parties and nationalist leaders on Memon’s behalf, but had received no information in return.
They noted that Memon is the brother of the STP’s Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Hameed Memon, and comes from a family with a long history in Sindh’s nationalist movement — framing his recovery as a matter connecting the shared struggles of Sindh and Balochistan. The party announced a series of protests through June, including in Nawabshah, Tando Mohammad Khan, and Hyderabad, and appealed to Baloch leadership as well as the Sindh and Balochistan governments to act.
Separately, a delegation from the Sindh Memon Ittehad met with Qaumi Awami Tehreek chief Ayaz Latif Palijo, who assured the delegation of his assistance in pursuing Memon’s recovery.
Appeal to rights organisations
The case has also drawn attention from Baloch political circles. In a post on X on July 4, Shafi Burfat, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSQM), appealed to international human rights organizations to press for Memon’s safe and unconditional release, saying he is reportedly being held by Baloch armed fighters for ransom. Burfat argued that abducting civilians for ransom cannot be equated with revolutionary or political struggle, describing such acts as criminal violence that undermines the legitimacy of any political cause. He called on the international community to press for Memon’s release and for respect of the rights and dignity of civilians caught up in the conflict.
A life of public service and letters
Those who know Saeed Ahmed Memon describe a man defined not by controversy but by decades of quiet public service and literary contribution.
“My father is 61 years old. He retired as Director in the Excise Department, Government of Sindh, and is widely known for his literary work as a Sindhi writer, poet, and columnist,” Musawir said. “He has always lived a peaceful life dedicated to public service and literature.”
Memon has no history of political affiliation that might explain his targeting. “My father has never been affiliated with any political party or political movement,” Musawir said. “He is a retired government officer, having served as Director in the Excise Department of the Government of Sindh. He is also a respected writer, poet, and columnist.”
Nor, his son says, was there any warning that violence might befall him. “My father never received any threats or warnings prior to his abduction, nor was there any reason to anticipate such an incident,” Musawir said.
The family — Musawir and his two siblings — has been left grappling with the psychological weight of the unknown. “We are a family of three siblings, and his abduction has caused immense emotional and psychological suffering,” Musawir said. “More than 52 days have passed, yet we have no information about his condition or whereabouts. Every passing day increases our fear for his safety, and we urgently appeal for his safe and immediate recovery.”
Family seeks HRCP’s intervention
The Memon family has now formally requested that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) take notice of the case as a humanitarian matter, urging the federal government, the governments of Sindh and Balochistan, and all relevant authorities to make every possible effort toward Saeed Ahmed Memon’s safe and immediate recovery.
More than seven weeks after he was taken from a highway in Sorab, the retired officer and poet remains missing — his fate unknown, his case seemingly stalled, and his family left to carry both grief and hope in equal measure.