Three young men have been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces in separate incidents in Quetta and Mashkay, according to local sources and rights groups.
In Balochistan’s capital Quetta, two young men were detained on 26 April from a barber shop located on the Eastern Bypass and taken to an undisclosed location. They have been identified as Abdul Basit (23), son of Mali Khan, and Ghulam Muhammad (18), son of Ghawar Khan, both residents of Spilinji in Mastung district.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) confirmed the enforced disappearance of both individuals.
Meanwhile, in the Mashkay tehsil of Awaran district, another individual, Naseer Ahmed, son of Muhammad and a resident of the Kundri area, was allegedly detained by Pakistani intelligence agencies. According to local sources, Naseer Ahmed was taken from his home two days ago after failing to appear at a military camp when summoned.
The latest disappearances come amid an ongoing military operation in the Spilinji area of Mastung district, which has entered its fourth consecutive day.
Local residents said helicopters and surveillance drones have been flying continuously over Kaboi, Talkha Kawi, and surrounding mountainous and plain areas, adding that ground troops have tightened checkpoints and raided several homes.
They said Pakistani forces detained multiple civilians during the operation, including three shopkeepers and two farmers. Two of the individuals have been identified as Younus, son of Basham, and Bilal, son of Sher Ahmed.
Residents staged a protest on Sunday, marching towards a Frontier Corps (FC) camp to demand the recovery of those detained. Protesters alleged that forces have repeatedly violated the sanctity of homes through frequent raids and accused security personnel of harassment, arbitrary detentions, and torture within FC camps.
“The forces must change their behaviour, otherwise we will be compelled to escalate and expand our protest movement,” one demonstrator warned.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued Tuesday, United Nations human rights experts expressed serious concerns over the “excessive and harmful impacts” of Pakistan’s counterterrorism measures in Balochistan, urging full compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law.
The experts described the “unrelenting use of enforced disappearances” in Balochistan as “a serious human rights violation and an international crime.”
“We urge Pakistan to establish independent and effective search and investigation mechanisms to identify the fate and whereabouts of those forcibly disappeared, criminalise enforced disappearances and hold perpetrators accountable,” the statement said.
The experts also raised concerns about “widespread torture, ill-treatment, extrajudicial killings and indiscriminate violence by security forces.”
They further called on Pakistan to address the underlying causes of conflict in Balochistan.
“Pakistan must also increase its efforts to address grievances in Balochistan that may fuel violence,” they said. “All States [must] address the root causes of violence to effectively combat terrorism, such as unresolved conflicts, weak rule of law, human rights violations, discrimination, political exclusion, socio-economic marginalization, and poor governance.”
Pakistani authorities had not issued any formal statement regarding the ongoing operations or the reported disappearances at the time of reporting.