Enforced disappearances continue unabated in Balochistan for the past two decades. Baloch nationalists, activists, and human rights groups have accused Pakistani intelligence agencies and security forces of being involved in these enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings of Baloch students, intellectuals, and political and rights activists across and beyond Balochistan.
Balochistan has seen four insurgencies in the past and the fifth one is ongoing since the early 2000s. Analysts and Baloch nationalists say that the Pakistani state and specifically its law enforcement agencies are applying extreme tactics which include enforced disappearances, kill and dumps, and extra-judicial killings of Baloch people to counter the “independence movement”.
Although the Pakistani government has denied involvement in these disappearances, rights groups argue that the evidence suggests otherwise.
The Balochistan Post’s (TBP) investigative report on the state of ‘enforced disappearances’ in Balochistan for the 2nd half of March is as follows.
Findings:Â
TBP collected several cases of enforced disappearances reported from different areas of Balochistan in the last two weeks of March 2023. The reports concluded that 24 persons forcibly disappeared, 5 were released and 5 dead bodies were found in the last two weeks of March. The first two weeks’ report was published earlier.
People disappeared from:
- Kharan: 2
- Harnai: 2
- Khuzdar: 3
- Kolwah: 3
- Kech: 6
- Quetta: 3
- Naseer Abad: 1
- Panjgur: 1
- Noshki: 2
- Dera Ghazi Khan: 1
Five dead bodies recovered from:
- Pasni: 1
- Mastung: 1
- Kolwah: 2
- Hub Chowki: 1
Details of the victims of enforced disappearances
The Balochistan Post verified through the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) and Paank, the status of the following individuals as missing persons.
- Sagheer Ahmed: Detained from Kharan on March 18. Still missing
- Mohammed Ibrahim: Detained from Harnai on March 9. Still missing
- Nizam-Ud-Deen: Detained from Harnai on March 9. Still missing
- Khalid Baloch: Detained from Khuzdar on march 20. Later released
- Asif: Detained from Khuzdar on March 20. Later released
- Kato: Detained from Kolwah on March 21. Still missing
- Sanjar: Detained from Kolwah on March 21. Still missing
- Sadam: Detained from Kolwah on March 21. Still missing
- Sher Bugti: Detained from Dera Ghazi Khan on March 21. Still missing
- Imam Bakhsh: Detained from Mand on March 9. Still missing
- Ali: Detained from Mand on March 9. Still missing
- Jahanzaib: Detained Turbat on March 21. Still missing
- Bilal: Detained from Zehri, Khuzdar on March 23. Still Missing
- Ali Khan: Detained from Quetta on March 23. Still missing
- Khan Mohammed: Detained from Quetta on March 23. Still missing
- Muhammad Guman: Detained from Quetta on March 23. Still missing
- Muhammad Afzal: Detained from Naseer Abad on March 24. Still missing
- Beebarg Baloch: Detained from Kharan on March 26. Still missing
- Waris Zamurani: Detained from Turbat on March 27. Still missing
- Yaseen: Detained from Turbat on March 27. Still missing
- Safeer Ahmed: Detained from Noshkli on March 30. Still missing
- Liaqat: Detained from Noshki on March 30. Still missing
- Nawaz: Detained from Turbat on March 30. Still missing
- Muzahir Hussain: Detained from Panjgur on March 31. Still missing