After arrest of Sardar Khairbakhsh Marri in 2000, the Baloch national independence movement in Balochistan was spearheaded by the Baloch Liberation Army. Pakistan’s military government, led by General Pervez Musharraf, employed enforced disappearances as a strategy to quell the independence movement in Balochistan. Intelligence agencies began abducting workers from organizations associated with the movement, starting with the forced disappearance of Noora Marri.
Following the end of General Musharraf’s military rule, it was expected that the occurrences of enforced disappearances in Balochistan would decrease. However, after the formation of the People’s Party government in 2008, enforced disappearances actually increased. This trend became evident with the forced disappearance of Baloch National Movement Chairman Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, along with Sher Muhammad and Lala Munir. Their bodies were later found mutilated in Murgaap, a few kilometers away from Turbat.
The forced disappearance and custodial killing of the BNM chairman marked a further increase in the series of widespread abductions of Baloch political leaders and activists from various backgrounds, an issue that persists to this day. On June 8, 2009, BSO Vice Chairman Zakir Majeed was forcibly disappeared from Mustang, and on June 28, BNM Central Committee Member Dr. Deen Muhammad Baloch was forcibly disappeared from a hospital. Former Vice Chairman of BSO Sangat Sana and Central Information Secretary of Baloch Republican Party Jalil Riki suffered the same fate, with their bodies being dumped in the desolated places after their enforced disappearance.
Qadeer Baloch, the father of Jalil Reki, who was killed after being forcibly disappeared, has been fighting for the recovery of forcibly disappeared individuals for fifteen years. According to him, thousands of people have been forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani army in Balochistan, with over two thousand of them being killed and their bodies dumped in deserts and remote areas. Currently, enforced disappearances are being disguised as fake police encounters.
The impact of enforced disappearances on Balochistan is a humanitarian tragedy, affecting every segment of Baloch society. Thousands of families endure economic, psychological, and social hardships due to these disappearances. Baloch mothers and sisters continue to protest through sit-ins and demonstrations at press clubs, demanding the recovery of their loved ones. Despite ongoing protests for the recovery of forcibly disappeared individuals, the number of cases continues to rise.
BSO Azad designated June 8th as a day to bring attention to enforced disappearances. On this day, families of the victims and human rights organizations throughout Balochistan gather in front of press clubs to protest and demand the safe return of the forcibly disappeared individuals from the ruling parties and the Pakistan Army.
Despite the government’s claims, judicial commissions’ orders, and human rights organizations’ recommendations, enforced disappearances in Balochistan persist and even escalate. This continuous increase represents a severe violation of human rights and democratic values. Immediate action is required; otherwise, an even greater human tragedy may unfold in Balochistan.