The concerning pattern of reckless decision-making by Balochistan’s controversial government continues unabated. As people across Balochistan protest against enforced disappearances and state repression, the Pakistan Peoples Party’s contentious provincial government is seeking to legitimise unconstitutional practices by passing the Anti-Terrorism (Balochistan Amendment) Act 2025 in the Balochistan Assembly.
The Balochistan Anti-Terrorism Act 2025 grants security agencies sweeping powers to detain any individual for up to three months without formal charges or due judicial process—an unacceptable move. This legislation will effectively strip citizens of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Pakistan’s constitution.
For years, the federal and provincial governments of Pakistan have denied the existence of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. However, the passage of this act makes it clear that the forced abduction of Baloch political activists and other forms of state repression can no longer be plausibly denied.
By seeking to legitimise enforced disappearances through legal means, the controversial PPP-led government in Balochistan is attempting to silence dissent against state oppression, both within Balochistan and at the international level. This is an effort to provide a legal cover for extrajudicial actions and to suppress movements that have emerged in response to such abuses.
The grave issue of enforced disappearances demands serious and humane solutions, which the current government has failed to provide. While this controversial act may lend a veneer of legality to state repression, it will not resolve the underlying crisis. Resistance to such actions will continue to be voiced in Balochistan and echoed by international human rights bodies.