Renowned Brahui language singer Ustad Asghar Qambarani has reportedly gone missing from his home in Quetta on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.
According to local sources, Qambarani was allegedly detained by Pakistani forces and subsequently shifted to an undisclosed location. His disappearance has sparked concern among human rights organizations and activists.
It is worth noting that in January this year alone, nearly three dozen Baloch individuals, mostly students, were forcibly disappeared allegedly by Pakistani forces. Enforced disappearances have been a decades-long issue in Balochistan, with thousands missing and their families protesting for years, demanding their safe return.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), which are actively working against enforced disappearances in Balochistan, have condemned the growing number of such incidents. They have called on international human rights organizations to take notice and intervene to stop these violations.
The disappearance of Ustad Asghar Qambarani has added to the ongoing tensions in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances remain a pressing human rights issue.