Reports have emerged of three new incidents of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, involving individuals from Pasni, Noshki, and Quetta.
In the coastal city of Pasni, located in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, local sources report that Sartaj, son of Saleh Mohammad, has once again been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces. Sartaj was previously abducted on 28 July 2015 along with his brother, Murad Bakhsh Saleh. While Sartaj was later released, his brother remains missing to this day. In this latest incident, Sartaj was reportedly taken on 6 May 2025.
Family members have appealed for Sartaj’s safe return, noting that he is the sole provider for his elderly mother and his missing brother’s children. Sartaj’s mother has issued a plea to the Baloch nation to raise their voice for his recovery.
Meanwhile, in Noshki, a 14-year-old boy named Sharifullah, son of Tawus Khan and a resident of Qadirabad village, has allegedly been abducted by Pakistani forces. According to the family, Sharifullah is a sixth-grade student who was taken from his home at approximately 3 a.m. on the night of 18 April by uniformed personnel. There has been no information about his whereabouts since.
In a separate case in Quetta, the family of Abdul Farooq, son of Mohammad Azeem Satakzai, reported that he was taken into custody by Pakistani forces on 13 April 2025 in the Lais Dagari area. Since then, the family says, they have received no updates from the authorities regarding his condition or location.
Families of all three victims have called on the government to ensure the immediate and safe return of their loved ones.
Balochistan has witnessed a sharp rise in enforced disappearances and alleged extrajudicial killings in recent years. Families of the disappeared have long demanded that if their relatives are in state custody, they should be produced in courts. However, human rights groups and local activists report that detainees are often kept incommunicado for extended periods and, in many cases, later killed in staged encounters.