In a series of alleged enforced disappearances in Balochistan, Pakistani forces reportedly arrested four individuals and relocated them to undisclosed locations. These recent incidents follow a reported increase in similar disappearances throughout the region, spotlighting an escalating human rights concern.
In Turbat, the central city of the Kech district, 17-year-old Noshad, son of Mian Dad Bujeer, was reportedly detained by the Pakistani security forces on July 31, 2023. Noshad, a resident of Aapsar Daak Bazar, was en route home from Turbat’s central bazaar when he was detained. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Similarly, in the Absar area of Turbat, Saif Baloch, son of Umeed, was allegedly arrested from his grocery store and disappeared on August 1. His family is appealing to human rights organizations for assistance in securing his safe return.
Furthermore, Nisar, son of Kareem Bakhsh, was reportedly detained by Pakistani forces in the coastal city of Gwadar, while Ashraf, son of Haji Ismail, was detained in Panjgur. Nisar was taken away near the Royal Hotel area of Gwadar on July 31, while Ashraf, previously forcibly disappeared in 2020 and released a year later, was reportedly detained again in Panjgur on August 3.
The report from The Balochistan Post’s Visual Data Studio indicates that these incidents are not isolated. In the last two weeks of July alone, 34 people have reportedly been forcibly disappeared across Balochistan, with the majority of disappearances recorded in the Kech and Dera Bugti districts.
The families of the disappeared are urging human rights organizations to assist in the safe recovery of their loved ones. These persistent instances of forced disappearances raise serious concerns about the human rights situation in the region, calling for immediate global attention and action.