The family members of the missing Sana Baloch said that a Pakistani military’s Colonel Umer Farooq reportedly confirmed that Mr Baloch is in their custody and that he will be released once the investigation is over. Four months later, Sana Baloch is still missing.
Sitting in the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons camp in front of Quetta Press Club on Sunday, the family members disclosed the details of Sana Baloch’s disappearance. Baloch, an MPhil student in Allama Iqbal Open University, went missing in May this year in Kharan. According to his family members, he was travelling on a bike to his hometown, Banap, when he was reportedly abducted by the Pakistani Military Intelligence (MI) on the way.
The family members said that they then approached the prominent tribal and political figures of their area, who then directed them to Colonel Umer Farooq of the Pakistani military. Farooq reportedly confessed that Mr Baloch was in their custody, and said that he will be released once the investigation is over. Fourth months after the confession, Sana Baloch remains missing.
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Enforced disappearances are a major issue in Balochistan, and are aggravating overtime. According to statistics, thousands of Baloch and Pashtun remain missing from Balochistan. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, led by Mama Qadeer Baloch and Nasrullah Baloch, has been protesting against enforced disappearances and for the safe recovery of Baloch missing persons in Quetta for more than a decade now.