Eight Baloch students were reportedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in Karachi on Wednesday, according to local sources.
The students were identified as Shoaib Ali, Beebgar Amir, Ashfaq Khalid Dad, Shehzad Khalid, Qamber Ali, Hanif Badal, Zaheer Shaukat, and Saeed Ullah. They were taken from the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area and have since been moved to an undisclosed location.
All of the students were pursuing their education in Karachi. Shoaib and Beebgar are history students at Karachi University, Hanif is enrolled at Federal Urdu University, Ashfaq and Shehzad attend madrassa, Qamber is an FSc. student, and Saeed Ullah is studying law.
Meanwhile, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) issued a statement condemning the surge in enforced disappearances, particularly targeting Baloch students. In a post on X, the BYC claimed that security agencies were retaliating against Baloch youth after recent security failures.
“The intelligence agencies become vindictive after their security failures,” the BYC said. “The current surge in enforced disappearances is alarming, particularly of Baloch students in Punjab and Karachi.”
The BYC called on the international community and human rights organizations to take notice of the situation. It urged the Baloch nation to stand united in resisting these acts and demanded justice for the families of the disappeared.
Incidents of enforced disappearances in Karachi have reportedly increased in recent days. On October 15, Pakistani forces reportedly detained four individuals during a raid on a hotel in Karachi’s Saddar area. Their whereabouts remain unknown.