At least four oil traders have reportedly been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in Balochistan’s Panjgur district.
The missing individuals were identified as Khalil Siddique, Abdul Shakoor Saleh, Arshad Rafique, and Waseem, son of Mohammad Hashim. According to local sources, they were taken from Paroom tehsil on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
Local sources said the missing individuals are laborers and oil trade drivers.
It is important to note that in the neighboring district of Kech, oil traders have recently been subjected to profiling under the pretext of issuing trade tokens. Critics claim these measures are being used to harass and target individuals based on the alleged connections of their relatives or close associates to Baloch nationalist parties or organizations.
The families of the missing persons and local activists have demanded their immediate release and an end to what they describe as “inhumane practices.”
The issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan remains a serious and ongoing human rights crisis. Human rights organizations and Baloch political parties have repeatedly accused Pakistani intelligence agencies of involvement in these incidents. While the Pakistani government often denies or downplays these allegations, testimonies from victims’ families and evidence from rights groups paint a troubling picture.
Meanwhile, Paank, the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), condemned the disappearances. In a statement on X, the group described the incident as another example of human rights violations in the region.
“Paank strongly condemns the enforced disappearances of Waseem Hashim, Khaleel Siddique, Arshid Rafiq, and Abdul Shakoor Saleh on the night of December 6, 2024, in Paroom tehsil of Panjgur district, Balochistan. These individuals were forcibly taken from their homes by Pakistani forces, marking another distressing instance of human rights violations in the region,” the statement read.
The group highlighted that enforced disappearances violate international human rights laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Pakistan is a signatory. Paank called for accountability and immediate action to address the ongoing crisis in Balochistan.