Abdul Qudoos Qambrani, a student of Lasbela University of Agriculture Water and Marine Science Othal (LUAMS), is yet to be located after he was taken by unknown armed men on December 28, 2022 from a hotel on Samungali Road in Quetta. Despite the passage of over a month, no information has been uncovered regarding his whereabouts.
A brother of Abdul Qudous, Hafeez Qambrani, suffered the same fate in 2015 when he was forcibly taken and his mutilated body was later found. The family hopes that the relevant authorities and the Commission for Missing Persons will bring Abdul Qudoos back to safety soon.
Qudoos’s family has said that targeting innocent students is a cruel and unjust act that goes against the very nature of education. Abdul Qudous was a dedicated and capable student, similar to many other knowledgeable and educated Baloch students who have also become victims of forced disappearance.
The family is concerned that Abdul Qudoos may have missed exams for the next semester, which are already underway, putting his academic future in peril. They implore the authorities to take quick action to locate him and reunite him with his loved ones so he can resume his studies.
Enforced disappearances have been a persistent problem in Balochistan, where individuals are taken into custody without a trace and often subjected to human rights abuses. This practice, which violates the basic principles of the rule of law, has caused immense suffering for families and communities who are often left without any information about the fate of their loved ones.
The problem of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is exacerbated by a lack of accountability and a lack of effective measures to address the issue. Despite numerous reports of disappearances, the authorities often fail to conduct thorough investigations, leaving families without any answers or closure. Furthermore, the victims are often targeted for their political views or activism, which highlights the need for protection of human rights and the rule of law.