Quetta, Sep 5 — As violence against Baloch civilians continues unabated across Pakistan, as many as four civilians were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces, a leading human rights organisation alleged on Saturday.
These latest incidents come against the backdrop of a growing wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province.
Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, said that another youth, Ammar Baloch, was forcibly disappeared from Lahore on September 3.
The rights body said that Ammar, who had pursued higher education abroad before returning to build his future, was taken away by Pakistani security forces and that his whereabouts remain unknown.
“His disappearance demonstrates the insecurity faced by educated Baloch youth, including those pursuing academic and professional careers both inside and outside Balochistan,’ it added.
In a separate incident, Adnan Baloch, a labourer from Gebun region in Balochistan, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces during a late-night raid in the early hours of September 2, while his whereabouts reportedly remain unknown
“Adnan’s disappearance shows that this practice affects Baloch people regardless of their education, profession or economic background. Labourers and working-class families are particularly vulnerable, as the disappearance of a family member can bring severe psychological suffering and economic hardship,” Paank mentioned.
Highlighting the escalating atrocities across Balochistan, the rights body strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of twin brothers Muhammad and Ahmad by Pakistani security forces in Gebun on September 2.
According to the rights body, Pakistani security forces entered their family home and forcibly took both brothers into custody before transferring them to an undisclosed location. It said that Pakistani authorities have provided no information about their whereabouts, legal status, or physical condition.
“Muhammad and Ahmad are daily wage labourers who support their family through manual work. Neither has any political affiliation or criminal record. They were taken without a warrant, without being informed of any charges, and without access to lawyers, family members, or a court,” Paank mentioned.
Asserting that enforced disappearance constitutes a grave violation of international human rights law, it further said, “By secretly detaining individuals and concealing their fate and whereabouts, the authorities place them outside the protection of the law and expose them to the risk of torture, ill-treatment and other serious abuses. Families are left in prolonged uncertainty, not knowing where their loved ones are being held, what condition they are in, or whether they are safe.”
Paank called on the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, international human rights organisations, and the diplomatic community to press Pakistan to disclose the fate of all forcibly disappeared persons and end the practice of enforced disappearance.