The issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan persists as another youth, identified as Dawood Baloch, has reportedly been ‘abducted’ and forcibly disappeared by personnel of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Quetta’s Killi Shahnawaz area.
According to the victim’s family, security officials in plain clothes, accompanied by CTD personnel, raided their house, vandalized property, and took Dawood Baloch away. The family has lodged an official report at the local police station, demanding his safe release.
“We appeal for Dawood Baloch’s safe recovery. The state must act with conscience instead of subjecting us to suffering, especially in this sacred month,” the family stated.
Meanwhile, in a rare development, two individuals who had gone missing from Zehri in January — Mujeebur Rehman s/o Muhammad Anwar of the Bobak tribe, and Muhammad Hayat s/o Muhammad Umar of the Mithazai tribe — have reportedly returned home.
The issue of enforced disappearances continues to persist in Balochistan and has picked up pace in the past few weeks as dozens of individuals have gone missing from districts across Balochistan. The families of the missing persons and Baloch rights groups like Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) continue to protest what they describe the “unlawful detention” and “extrajudicial killings” of Baloch missing persons.
In the recent days, major protests have been organized in Turbat, Surab, Mastung, Panjgur, Khuzdar, and Hub Chowki against enforced disappearances, effectively bringing the entire Balochistan to a standstill. The demonstrators have stood tall in face of government crackdown and harsh weather and have warned that if their missing loved ones are not returned, they will intensify the protests.