Reports from Balochistan, Karachi and Islamabad indicate a series of new alleged enforced disappearances, the recovery of a previously missing lawyer, and continuing protests by families demanding the return of their loved ones.
Local sources said that on the night of 31 August, two men from different districts of Balochistan were detained and subsequently went missing. Shah Nawaz, son of Hathim Baloch, a resident of Tobo Kaad Jhao in Awaran, was reportedly taken into custody by security forces near Hub Chowki area while returning from the hospital. On the same night, Inayat Baloch, son of Basham and a labourer from Dandar Madag Kalat in Kech district, was allegedly detained from his home in the Bhawani area of Hub and later disappeared.
In a separate development, family sources confirmed that Advocate Hakeem Baloch, who had been reported missing from Quetta on 23 July, has been released. His disappearance had drawn widespread concern from civil society, lawyers’ associations and human rights organisations.
Meanwhile, protests over enforced disappearances continued in Karachi and Islamabad. In Karachi’s Maripur area, relatives of missing persons staged a sit-in on Tikri Village Road, blocking traffic to press their demands. Families highlighted cases including 25-year-old student Zahid Ali, who was taken on 17 July, brothers Sheraz and Silan who were reportedly detained in May 2025, Sarfaraz Baloch who went missing from Burhani Hospital in February, and Abdul Rehman, missing since June.
Protesters demanded that if charges exist against their relatives, they should be presented in a court rather than being held in undisclosed detention facilities. They accused authorities of denying them information and called for an end to the practice of enforced disappearances.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) have expressed support for the families. In Islamabad, BYC leaders and relatives of missing persons have maintained a protest camp despite heavy rain. A BYC leader, Sammi Deen Baloch, said demonstrators are not allowed to pitch tents, install shelters or freely engage with journalists, but remain committed to continuing their protest.
Activists and family members argue that peaceful dissent is increasingly restricted. At a camp in Quetta, the daughter of a missing man, Jahanzaib Mohammad Hassani, told reporters that those who speak against enforced disappearances face harassment, intimidation or arrest.
Pakistani authorities have not publicly commented on the latest allegations.