Four Baloch students have been reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance by Pakistani security forces. Two were taken from Barkhan district in Balochistan and two from Sargodha, a major city in Punjab. Their current status and location are unknown.
Reports indicate that on June 4, Haneef Baloch, a student and gold medalist in Social Work from Islamic University Bahawalpur, was detained in his native Barkhan. His brother, Saeed Baloch, was also apprehended and taken to an undisclosed location after being called back from Lahore.
In Sargodha, Pakistani forces are said to have detained Danish, son of Iqbal, from Panjgur, Balochistan, and Farhad, son of Muhammad Tariq, from Dalbandin, Balochistan. Both are students at the University of Sargodha.
Their peers from Balochistan have verified the disappearances, stating attempts to file a police report were denied.
The frequency of such disappearances among Baloch students has reportedly increased recently. With Eid-ul-Adha nearing, students often return home for celebrations, which has allegedly provided opportunities for security forces to detain them.
Recently, Anees ur Rehman, a student from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, originally from Khuzdar, was taken by security forces and remains missing. In May, six minor students were detained in Quetta; five were released, but one remains unaccounted for.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, an activist for missing persons, has spoken out against these disappearances, likening them to societal cancer and a sign of ongoing Baloch genocide. She emphasizes that silence is not an option and public resistance is necessary to halt these acts. The less resistance shown, she warns, the more severe the situation may become.