Baloch students across various cities in Punjab and the federal capital, Islamabad, have been protesting against the enforced disappearances of their peers, calling for their immediate and safe return.
In Bahawalpur, the Baloch Students Council (BSC) Punjab organized a protest concerning the disappearance of Anees Ur Rehman, a student from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. Anees was reportedly taken by Pakistani security forces from Khuzdar, and his current condition and location remain a mystery, raising alarms about his safety among his family and friends.
Similarly, Haneef Baloch, a gold medalist in Social Work from the Islamic University of Bahawalpur, was detained by the security forces from his native Barkhan on June 4. His brother, Saeed Baloch, was allegedly called back from Lahore and subsequently detained. The whereabouts of the two brothers are still unknown.
The Baloch Students Council have expressed deep concern over the recent rise in enforced disappearances in Balochistan, labeling such acts as inhumane and equating them to genocide. They stressed that Baloch human rights defenders, as well as social, political, and student activists, face dangers throughout Pakistan and Balochistan. They called for a unified stand against what they described as oppression.
The protesters emphasized the urgent need to address the human rights crisis in Balochistan and the acceleration of enforced disappearances. They vowed to persist in their resistance against these violations until they cease.
A significant demonstration also took place in Islamabad on Saturday, where Baloch students assembled in front of the National Press Club. They marched through the city streets, displaying images and banners of their missing colleagues, demanding their prompt and safe release.
The demonstrators in Khuzdar district, led by the families of the missing Nazeer Ahmad Nathwani and Anees Ur Rehman, took to the main streets and obstructed the Quetta-Karachi highway near the Awami Petrol Pump and in the Sabzi Mandi. They insisted that their protest would not end until Anees Ur Rehman and Nazeer Ahmad were safely returned.
Nazeer Ahmad Nathwani was reportedly picked up by the Pakistani security forces from Khuzdar’s Sunni area on June 3 and remains missing.
The protesters criticized the Khuzdar administration’s inability and helplessness to address the issue of enforced disappearances. They declared that the protests would persist until the missing individuals were returned, holding the local administration accountable for any resulting damages.