Family’s gruelling wait ends as Wahid Baloch returns home

Four months after he was whisked away by unidentified men from Toll Plaza,

Abdul Wahid Baloch dropped in Malir and allowed to walk free

Prominent rights activist, publisher and literary figure Abdul Wahid Baloch, who was missing for the past four months, returned to his home in Lyari on Monday morning.

Baloch’s whereabouts were unknown since July 26 when he was whisked away by unidentified men from a passenger bus near Karachi’s Toll Plaza.

A resident of Lyari, he was travelling from rural Sindh to Karachi with a friend when their vehicle was signalled to stop at the Toll Plaza.

Many social activists, relatives and residents gathered outside his house in Lyari.

Talking to The News, Baloch thanked rights groups, media and individuals for participating in the movement for his release. However, he avoided talking about his disappearance.

His family said Baloch was dropped at a place near Kathore area of Malir on Monday morning to walk free and from there; he took a taxi and reached his home in Lyari.

After Baloch’s disappearance, human rights organisations, political activist and literary groups had organised the “Save Wahid Baloch Campaign’ and staged protest demonstrations in Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore.

Baloch’s family, especially his daughter, played a key role in the campaign for her father’s release. Several organisations, particularly the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Edhi Foundation, were at forefront of the movement.

HRCP’s Asad Iqbal Butt said Baloch’s release had boosted the morale of human rights defenders and civil society activists.

“It showed that joint and organised efforts of rights and civil society activists could bring such victories,” Butt told The News.

Known for his intellect and love for books, Baloch works as a telephone operator at the Civil Hospital Karachi.

He organises rallies and press conferences for the families of missing Baloch activists and is also the caretaker of the Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi Library in Malir.