A recent wave of alleged enforced disappearances and the recovery of dead bodies in various districts of Balochistan has triggered alarm among human rights organizations and local communities.
In one of the most widely reported cases, Salal, son of Dr Naseer, a 17-year-old student and cousin of Dr Mahrang Baloch — a central figure in the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) — was allegedly abducted on Tuesday in Quetta. According to Nadia Baloch, sister of Dr Mahrang, Salal was attending a family picnic in Quetta when he was forcefully taken in front of relatives.
Speaking to the media, Nadia Baloch said: “Salal is a brilliant second-year student at BRC Loralai, preparing for his MDCAT medical entrance exams scheduled for April 22. Instead of studying, he is now in the illegal custody of state agencies.” Nadia also alleged that their family has received both direct and indirect threats in recent days.
In a separate incident, Fahad Baloch, a 16-year-old resident of Killi Brahmazai in Khuzdar, was reportedly abducted on April 10 while picnicking with friends in Wadh. Sources say his companions were released two days later, but Fahad’s whereabouts remain unknown. His family has appealed for help from human rights organizations and the BYC.
In another case, four individuals were forcibly disappeared on Wednesday afternoon from Paroom tehsil in Balochistan’s Panjgur district.
The missing men have been identified as Zareef son of Rasheed, Asghar son of Muhammad Ali, Majid son of Muhammad Hayat, and Ateeq son of Muhammad Ali.
Local sources said all four were detained by Pakistani forces and taken to an undisclosed location. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
Meanwhile, multiple recoveries of dead bodies in different districts have intensified concerns over potential extrajudicial killings.
In Pasni, Gwadar district, the tortured dead body of Nizam, son of Mohammad, a youth allegedly abducted earlier this month from Babbar Shor, was discovered. His disappearance had previously been raised by the BYC, which had demanded his safe return.
Additionally, the dead body of a man identified as Abu Bakar was recovered in the Buleda area of Kech district. Two more unidentified dead bodies were found in Hub Chowki and Khuzdar, further raising fears of an increase in extrajudicial killings of forcibly disappeared individuals.
In the latest incident on Wednesday afternoon, another tortured body of a young man recovered from Khuzdar, who is the son of a BNP_M leader.
According to reports from the Khuzdar district of Balochistan, authorities have recovered the tortured body of a young man from the Nall area. The body was taken into custody and transported to a hospital, where it was identified as Farooq Ahmed.
According to the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), the mutilated body recovered in Khuzdar today is that of the young son of Noor Ahmed Mengal, the party’s Khuzdar district vice president. Farooq Ahmed had reportedly been forcibly disappeared on April 14, and his tortured body was recovered and discarded today.
BNP-Mengal stated that Farooq’s father, Noor Ahmed Mengal, had been actively participating in the protest sit-in near Lakpass in recent days, which was held in opposition to the arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders.
The BNP has strongly condemned the killing of the party leader’s son.
Cases of enforced disappearances followed by the recovery of tortured or unidentified dead bodies have long been a source of tension and fear in Balochistan. Rights groups report that such incidents continue to rise, and many allege a lack of accountability from state authorities.
The BYC and other advocacy organizations have strongly condemned the incidents, describing them as part of a broader pattern of “collective punishment” and calling for immediate intervention by the international community. They have reiterated demands for the recovery of missing persons and an independent investigation into the deaths.
As of now, there has been no official response from government or security agencies regarding the latest cases.