The family of Mahjabeen and Younus Baloch has launched an online campaign on X (formerly Twitter) calling for their immediate and safe release, as concerns grow over the enforced disappearance of the siblings by Pakistani security forces.
The campaign, under the hashtag #ReleaseMahjbeen&YounusBaloch, will run from 6pm to 11pm on 30 May. The family urged people from all walks of life to stand in solidarity and join the call for the safe return of the siblings.
Mahjabeen Baloch, a 24-year-old polio survivor and Library Science student at the University of Balochistan, was reportedly abducted from the Civil Hospital Hostel in Quetta on 29 May. According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), she was taken in a joint operation by police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officers, and other security personnel.
Her disappearance came just five days after her brother, Muhammad Younus Baloch—an engineering student—was taken from their family home in Basima, Washuk district, in a separate raid.
Related: Baloch Female Student ‘Forcibly Disappeared’ in Quetta, Family Speaks Out
The BYC described the disappearances as “a dangerous escalation in the state’s campaign of enforced disappearances,” warning that the targeting of Baloch women signals a shift in state repression that has long focused on male students and activists.
The group said Mahjabeen has not been presented before a court, has been denied legal representation, family contact, and medical care, and remains missing. Her health condition, the BYC warned, raises urgent concerns about her safety and access to medication.
“Mahjabeen’s disappearance is a grave human rights violation and an attack on the rights of women with disabilities, the right to education, and the basic dignity of Baloch women,” the BYC said, calling for international action and urging UN Special Rapporteurs and human rights organisations to intervene.
The Baloch Students Organization (BSO) Pajjar also issued a statement condemning Mahjabeen’s disappearance, describing it as an “assault on Baloch national honor.” The group warned that targeting Baloch women, students, and activists reflects a “dangerous trend” that will deepen the alienation of Baloch youth from the state.
BSO Pajjar said enforced disappearances and harassment in educational institutions are not solutions to the political crisis in Balochistan, and such tactics will only fuel resentment and resistance. It called for the immediate release of Mahjabeen Baloch and an end to the harassment of Baloch students and women.
Human rights groups have long expressed concern over enforced disappearances in Balochistan, where students, activists, and civilians have been targeted.
In a recent joint letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, five global rights organisations—including Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, and FORUM-ASIA—warned that Baloch women are increasingly facing the risk of enforced disappearance. The groups described the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including women activists, as part of a “systematic attack” on Baloch civil resistance.