At least fifteen individuals have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance across multiple districts of Balochistan, while one man died in custody following alleged torture. Six previously disappeared persons have been released in a separate incident, according to family members and local sources.
Disappearances in Kech, Pasni and Dera Bugti
In Kech district, 37-year-old Sifa Baloch, son of Maula Bakhsh and a resident of Mir Yaqoob Mohalla, Apsar, was abducted on 20 April. Witnesses said he was taken by personnel of Military Intelligence. His whereabouts remain unknown.
On 22 April, Umar Jan, son of Hassan, was reportedly abducted by operatives of a “state-sponsored death squad” in the Gilli area. His family said he was taken from Buleda town, also located in Kech district.
That same day, Mayar Baloch, son of Ghulam Nabi and a resident of Ward No. 1 in Pasni, Gwadar district, was reportedly detained from his home by military intelligence personnel. Mayar, a student, has not been seen since.
In Dera Bugti, eight local traders involved in the wheat and chickpea trade were reportedly detained by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). According to sources, ransom was demanded from the detainees. Those unable to pay were forcibly disappeared.
The missing have been identified as: Gul Muhammad, son of Jumma Bugti; Godho, son of Bakht Ali Bugti; Mureed, son of Khuda Bakhsh Bugti; Ali Khan, son of Umar Bakhsh Bugti; Gola, son of Lalahaan Bugti; Mahindra Bugti (a local Hindu trader); Bhalla Bugti; and Javed, son of Arz Muhammad Bugti.
Death in Custody and Four Still Missing in Barkhan
On 3 April, five members of the Mohammadani Marri family were reportedly detained by Pakistani forces from Barkhan’s Rakhni market.
One of them, Bakhtiyar, son of Miandad, was allegedly subjected to severe torture in custody and released after seven days. He later died from his injuries, according to local sources.
The four other men remain missing. One has been identified as Musa, son of Miandad. The identities of the remaining three have not yet been confirmed.
Six Released in Dhadar
In a separate development, six individuals who had been forcibly disappeared on 4 April were later released in Balochistan’s Dhadar. All of them are members of the Kurd tribe from Dasht Mastung.
The released men have been identified as: Mohammad Umar, son of Mohammad Anwar; Abdul Wahab, son of Ghulam Sarwar; Siraj Ahmad, son of Painda Khan; Bismillah, son of Ghulam Sarwar; Shahjan, son of Painda Khan; and Saddam Hussain, son of Sain Dad.
Rights Groups Demand Justice
The recent wave of enforced disappearances has renewed demands for justice from human rights organisations and families of the missing.
Activists argue that the abductions—often carried out without warrants or legal justification—are part of a broader pattern of systemic rights violations in Balochistan.
The human rights department of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), Paank, issued a statement condemning what it called a policy of “collective punishment” by Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies.
“Families are left in anguish without information, legal recourse, or justice,” the group said.
It called on international human rights bodies, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, to take urgent notice of the situation.
“Justice for the disappeared is not optional,” Paank said. “It is a moral and legal obligation.”