Ten Baloch students from the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) have reportedly been forcibly disappeared following a raid on their residence near the IJP Metro Station in Rawalpindi.
The Baloch Students Council (BSC) described the incident as “very much alarming.” In a statement posted on X, they said, “One of our flats was raided last night. All the members residing in the flat were forcibly disappeared. All of them are students of NUML, and many had midterm exams today.”
The BSC expressed “grave concern” for the safety of the missing students, describing the incident as part of a wider effort to “silence” the Baloch people. “We are very much concerned about their safety and request everyone to play their due role in their safe recovery,” the statement read.
“These tactics are attempts to silence us, but we will not be weakened by such policies. We will resist in every possible way.” The Council further stated that if the students are not released soon, they will announce further actions.
Baloch activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch also expressed concern on X, saying, “Ten young, educated Baloch youth were forcefully disappeared from the heart of Pakistan… near Islamabad—the very capital where the media, civil society, INGOs, advocacy groups, parliament, supreme court, and foreign missions are based.”
Dr. Baloch added that “secret intelligence agencies kidnapped the brightest minds of the Baloch people.” She questioned the safety of Baloch students in Balochistan, where “there is no media, no active civil society, no rights groups, and no INGOs.” She stated, “When I say ‘Baloch genocide,’ this is why: the best of the Baloch are disappeared, killed, or held in dungeons for years. And now, this violence has reached Islamabad.”
Meanwhile, Paank, the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), expressed “deep concern” regarding the students’ forced disappearance. They highlighted that the students were preparing for midterm exams, and their abrupt disappearance raises alarming questions about the safety and security of Baloch students in the region.
The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) also “strongly condemned” the forced disappearance of the ten students. In their statement, they said, “These young individuals, all students of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), were taken in a raid without cause or due process, disrupting their studies and jeopardizing their safety.”
HRCB highlighted that this incident reflects a “disturbing trend of racial profiling and systemic discrimination” faced by Baloch students, who are frequently “targeted and oppressed solely for their ethnic identity.”
“These actions violate not only the students’ basic freedoms but also Pakistan’s legal and international commitments to justice and human dignity.” The HRCB called for the immediate and safe release of the students and accountability for those responsible for this unlawful act.
The missing students have been identified as follows:
- Salim Arif, son of Arif Ali, Turbat, BBA, 6th semester
- Balach Fida, son of Fida Ahmed, Turbat, BBA, 8th semester
- Khuda Dad, son of Abdul Qadir, Turbat Dasht Dadday, IR, 8th semester
- Khalil Ahmed, son of Somaar, Awaran Tertaj, IR, 7th semester
- Khalil Ahmed, son of Iqbal, Dhandar Turbat, IR, 8th semester
- Hammal Hassani, son of Syed Mohammad, Awaran, IR, 7th semester
- Babar Atta, son of Atta, Panjgur, IR, 7th semester
- Noor Muheem, son of Muheem, Panjgur, IR, 5th semester
- Iftikhar Azum, son of Muhammad Azum, Awaran, Education, 7th semester
- Ahssam, son of Akbar, Panjgur, IR, 8th semester