Ten Baloch students from the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad, who were reportedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces on October 31, were released on Sunday.
The students were taken during a raid on their residence near the IJP Metro Station in Rawalpindi. They were subsequently moved to an undisclosed location.
The released students include Saleem Arif from Turbat, a sixth-semester BBA student; Balach Fida from Turbat, an eighth-semester BBA student; Khuda Dad from Turbat Dasht Dadday, an eighth-semester IR student; and Khalil Ahmed from Awaran Tertej, a seventh-semester IR student.
Others include Khalil Ahmed from Dhandar Turbat, an eighth-semester IR student; Hammal Hassani from Awaran, a seventh-semester IR student; and three students from Panjgur: Babar Atta, Noor Muheem, and Ahssam, in their seventh, fifth, and eighth IR semesters, respectively. Additionally, Iftikhar Azum from Awaran is a seventh-semester Education student.
The forced disappearance of the students drew widespread condemnation from human rights groups and Baloch leaders, who cited a “disturbing trend of racial profiling and systemic discrimination” faced by Baloch students. They alleged that Baloch individuals are often “targeted and oppressed solely for their ethnic identity.”