At least ten Baloch men have reportedly been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in separate incidents across Uthal, Jiwani, Turbat, and Karachi. Meanwhile, one missing person has been released and returned home, local sources said.
In Uthal, four students from the Agricultural University were detained in the Uthal Bazaar and remain missing. Classmates identified the students as Gulab, Balaach, Bayan, and Nasir. “They were taken while in the bazaar, and we have had no news since,” a classmate told local media.
In Jiwani, three men—Faqeer Muhammad, his son Dad Muhammad, and a third individual identified as Daarjan—were reportedly detained by security forces. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
Two more individuals were detained in Turbat’s Askani area on Friday morning. They were identified as Waris, son of Saleem, and Nisar, son of Aslam, and taken to an undisclosed location.
In Karachi, a rickshaw driver, Sadiq Ahmed, son of Dilmurad and a resident of Kan Gichk, was reportedly detained from the Lea Market area. His whereabouts are also unknown.
Amid this spate of disappearances, one individual, Sheyak, son of Allah Bakhsh, who was reportedly abducted in Gwadar on November 22, has returned home.
Surge in Enforced Disappearances
Human rights activists and advocacy groups have raised alarm over the escalating number of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Recent raids have reportedly led to over 50 individuals being forcibly disappeared in Turbat, Dera Bugti, Sui, Barkhan, and Kalat.
Among those recently disappeared are Dr. Zafar, son of Mohammad Rahim; Rahim Jan, son of Dr. Zafar; Dr. Mohammad Kareem, son of Bahram; Dangla, son of Haji Moj Bugti; Pir Mohammad, son of Pano Bugti; Ismail, son of Lalu Bugti; and Rashid Ahmad Khetran, son of Master Gul Mohammad Jan Bughio.
During a recent military operation in Kalat, over 40 individuals were reportedly detained. Due to communication blackouts, further information about those detained is pending.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a major advocacy group, condemned the rise in disappearances, describing them as evidence of a “genocide” targeting the Baloch people.
In a statement posted on X, the BYC said, “The enforced disappearances of Baloch individuals are escalating daily. The Baloch nation is facing the worst forms of oppression. With every passing day, disturbing reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances emerge.”
The statement alleged that entire families are being affected. “Today alone, in a single instance, eight Baloch individuals were forcibly disappeared from one household, leaving behind no male member, including an elderly person, Dr. Zafar, and his son, Raheem Baloch. While Dr. Zafar was later released after severe humiliation and torture, the others remain forcibly disappeared,” the BYC claimed.
The BYC criticized the silence of human rights organizations and the media, saying, “The genocide of the Baloch people is intensifying, yet human rights organizations and the media have adopted a criminal silence, as the lives of Baloch do not matter to anyone. Whether we live or die makes no difference to the world.”
The group vowed to continue resisting what it described as the “genocide of the Baloch people.” “We will never, and cannot, remain indifferent while our people endure such brutality. BYC will continue to strengthen and expand the resistance movement against the ongoing Baloch genocide,” it said.
Rights organizations have repeatedly called on authorities to address enforced disappearances in Balochistan, describing the practice as a violation of fundamental rights. Pakistani authorities have not commented on the latest cases.