The mother of forcibly disappeared Rasheed Baloch passed away without seeing her son for the last time. Two decades have passed since Ali Asghar Bengalzai’s enforced disappearance, Sami Baloch’s father waited for him for twelve years before he passed away. Dr. Akbar Marri’s son has been waiting for his father for fourteen years. Ali Haider spent fourteen years of his childhood protesting in front of press clubs, but his wait for his father continues. Sammi and Mehlab have been waiting for the return of Dr. Deen Muhammad for fourteen years, while Tutak’s Qalandrani family has been waiting for their loved ones for a decade. These are just a few examples of the thousands of families who have experienced enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
In October 2009, families of forcibly disappeared persons founded the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons to recover their loved ones through joint struggle. However, the protest camp of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons has been in Balochistan for five thousand days now, with no end in sight. Enforced disappearances continue, and Baloch mothers are dying while waiting for their sons.
Rasheed Baloch’s mother knocked on the doors of the courts for five years, protesting with Voice for Baloch Missing Persons in Khuzdar and Quetta, and demanding the recovery of her son. However, despite her efforts, her son could not be recovered, and she passed away due to the pain of separation from her missing son.
Despite receiving bullet-riddled body of his young son, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons’ leader Mama Qadeer Baloch remains hopeful that the protest movement will lead to the recovery of the missing persons. He says that they will continue the movement for as long as it takes to recover the missing persons.
Enforced disappearances have created a human tragedy in Balochistan, affecting thousands of families, and the number of cases is increasing daily. Political parties in Balochistan and Pakistan only raise their voices on this issue when they are in opposition, but once they come into power, they remain silent. If this serious problem of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is not resolved, the situation will only worsen.