A young student, Zakaria Asmi, was reportedly forcibly abducted on Monday afternoon by unidentified armed men in Satellite Town, a busy neighbourhood in Turbat, the administrative centre of Balochistan’s Kech district.
According to eyewitnesses, the assailants rammed Zakaria’s motorcycle with their vehicle, causing him to fall. They then dragged him into their car at gunpoint and fled the scene. The incident reportedly took place in full view of the public.
Zakaria, a school student who also worked evenings at a local shop, had no known political or militant affiliations, according to his family. They have appealed to the Kech district administration for his safe and immediate recovery.
Despite the public nature of the incident, local authorities have not issued any statement or acknowledged the abduction, raising concerns about transparency and official inaction.
Human rights groups and Baloch advocacy organisations have long accused Pakistani security forces and state-backed militias of involvement in such enforced disappearances. While Pakistani authorities typically deny these claims or remain silent, the phenomenon remains a deeply contentious issue in Balochistan.
A mother dies waiting
The psychological toll of enforced disappearances continues to devastate families across the region. On Monday, the mother of Mir Taj Muhammad Sarparah — who has been missing for five years — passed away after years of illness and grief.
In a statement posted on X, his wife, Saliha Marri, wrote: “Today, my husband Mir Taj Muhammad Sarparah’s mother passed away. She left us after enduring five years of pain and waiting. Each day, she carried the weight of sorrow, crying and praying for the return of her son.”
Activists say this is not an isolated case. Families — particularly elderly parents — have spent years in anguish, with some passing away during ongoing protests or after collapsing from exhaustion and stress.
They continue to demand that the disappeared be brought before courts if there are accusations against them, rather than being held incommunicado.
Nationalist political parties and civil society organisations in Balochistan have repeatedly accused the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies of widespread human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances.
For nearly two decades, enforced disappearances have remained a central grievance in Balochistan, drawing condemnation from international rights groups — but little response from the state.