Islamabad, June 6, 2026
The Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the “barbaric and regrettable” incident of an acid attack on a female doctor during her duty at Sandeman Civil Hospital in Balochistan’s capital, Quetta.
Expressing grave concern over the “cowardly assault,” the rights body said, “A woman associated with such a sacred profession, engaged in serving humanity and saving lives, to be targeted with such brutal violence right at her workplace is not only a slap in the face to the medical community but also to the entire society and humanity.”
Describing the incident as the gravest security failure, the Council said that in any civilized society, such attacks on healthcare professionals cannot be tolerated, and it is the fundamental responsibility of the government and law enforcement agencies to guarantee full protection to medical staff, especially female doctors, at sensitive places like hospitals.
The HRC of Pakistan called on the government of Balochistan, the Health Department, and police authorities to immediately arrest those involved in this “spine-chilling incident” and prosecute them under anti-terrorism clauses, seeking the “harshest exemplary punishment” in accordance with the law.
At the same time, the Council demanded that the affected lady doctor be immediately provided with the best medical treatment and all necessary facilities at government expense to ensure that her life and health are fully protected.
Meanwhile, as violence against civilians, including women, continues unabated across Balochistan, the daughter of missing Baloch poet Habiba Pirjan alleged that her family has been subjected to repeated raids, harassment, and a campaign of false information following her mother’s disappearance from Karachi last month.
In a video statement widely circulated on social media platform X, Habiba’s daughter Hina Baloch claimed that her mother was taken away by personnel from state institutions, with no information provided about her whereabouts since then.
She also accused Pakistani authorities of circulating false information about her mother through fake social media accounts and unidentified media outlets, adding her mother had previously been also subjected to enforced disappearance.
Habiba was reportedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces on May 25 following a raid at her residence in Baldia Town.
This marked her second enforced disappearance, as she was previously detained in May 2022 and released days later.
Condemning the alleged harassment of Habiba’s family by Pakistani authorities, Sammi Deen Baloch, a member of the human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), took to X and posted: “All these actions are not only grave violations of fundamental human rights but are tantamount to collectively punishing a Baloch woman and her family.”
“The Baloch nation is facing a repression where law, ethics, and human dignity hold no value, and instead of ensuring the respect and protection of women, they are being targeted, ridiculed, and their character assassination is being used as a weapon,” she added.(Agency)
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