Two young men have reportedly been forcibly disappeared in separate incidents in Quetta, while a prominent lawyer was detained in Mastung and protest rallies were held across Balochistan in response to a surge in enforced disappearances.
Family members said Muhammad Yahya was taken from his home in Killi Shah Nawaz on 17 May by personnel from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). His whereabouts remain unknown.
In a separate case, Basheer Marri was allegedly detained by intelligence officials from his residence in Hazar Ganji on 15 May. He was taken to an undisclosed location, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The families of both men have appealed to human rights organizations and political leaders, calling the detentions illegal and demanding their immediate release.
Meanwhile, in Mastung, CTD and security forces raided the home of Advocate Chief Attaullah Baloch, a senior lawyer and member of the local bar. The raid reportedly took place between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM on Sunday.
According to sources, members of his household were physically assaulted during the raid before the lawyer was taken into custody.
The Mastung Bar Association convened an emergency meeting in response to the arrest. In a statement, it condemned the action and called on the Balochistan Bar Council and other legal institutions to intervene.
Bar representatives warned that the arrest of a legal professional posed a “serious threat to the judicial system and human rights.”
In a related development, a protest rally was held in Mastung on Saturday following a central call by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
Participants denounced enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and what they described as escalating state repression across Balochistan.
Protesters demanded the immediate release of detained BYC leaders, including Dr Mahrang Baloch, and accused the state of using counter-terrorism as a pretext for silencing dissent.
They also criticised the judiciary, alleging inaction on illegal detentions and complicity in political repression.
“The BYC is a people’s movement rooted in the Baloch populace,” protesters said. “Public resistance is growing, and no amount of force can dismantle this movement.”
Enforced disappearances have remained a deeply contentious issue in Balochistan for more than two decades.
While the Pakistani government denies involvement, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances—established by the federal government in 2011—has received thousands of complaints, many of which remain unresolved.