On June 12, 2024, Diljan, son of Allah Bakhsh, was allegedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in the Awaran district of Balochistan. Accompanied by Mama Qadeer Baloch, Vice Chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), Diljan’s family held a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, calling for his safe release.
The family said that rampant ‘enforced disappearances’ and the discovery of mutilated bodies in Balochistan have left the people of the region traumatized. “Balochistan has been turned into a slaughterhouse where people are forced to live in worse conditions than animals,” they said. “The daily occurrences of enforced disappearances and mutilated bodies have turned the people of Balochistan into physiological and psychological patients.”
Missing Diljan’s family questioned the world’s silence on these human rights violations. “Are the people of Balochistan not human? Can international human rights laws not be applied here?” they asked. They criticized human rights organizations, political parties, and governments for failing to take action against the rampant ‘enforced disappearances’ and ‘kill-and-dumps’ in Balochistan.
They said that the pain and suffering of the Baloch people are widespread – from Bolan and Dera Bugti to Hub Chowki and Karachi, the Baloch are not safe anywhere. They urged the sitting journalists to bring their voices to the relevant authorities, saying that those who remain silent are complicit in this tragedy.
The family said that almost every family in Balochistan has had one of their loved ones ‘abducted.’ They recounted the specific incident of Diljan’s ‘abduction’ on June 12, when seven military vehicles reportedly raided their home in Teertaj, Awaran, and took Diljan away. They said that despite reporting the incident to authorities, they received only empty promises.
In their appeal, the family called upon people from all walks of life to join their protest on Monday, July 8, blocking the Khuzdar RCD to Karachi. “We ask the public to understand our pain and participate in this protest to ensure the safe return of our loved one and bring us mental peace,” they pleaded.
They also appealed to high-ranking officials to play their part in securing Diljan’s release. “If Diljan is not recovered, we will escalate our protest,” they warned at the end of the press conference.