Reports indicate fresh cases of enforced disappearances alongside the recovery of four previously missing persons.
According to local sources, journalist Sher Khan Marri, a resident of Kohlu, was allegedly detained in Sibi by police and plainclothed personnel. His family has stated that his whereabouts remain unknown since the arrest. Colleagues and relatives claim he had been active on social media, raising concerns over enforced disappearances. Press circles and human rights groups have appealed for his safe recovery.
In a separate development, three men, Mujeeb son of Rasool Bakhsh, Amjad son of Deen Mohammad, and Waleed son of Nazar Mohammad, who had been missing for about a month from Tump in Kech district, were released. However, another man detained alongside them, Rashid son of Deen Mohammad, remains unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) confirmed that Asad Usman Baloch, a resident of Mand in Kech district, has been released. He was allegedly taken into custody at Karachi Airport after being deported from Bahrain on 28 August last year.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, a sit-in by the families of missing persons has been ongoing for two months, with protesters demanding an end to enforced disappearances and the release of the detained leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Families allege they have faced harassment instead of support, with police removing their protest camp on the very first day, cutting off water and electricity, and blocking access to the media and public.
Protesters say they came to Islamabad because the state insists that “Baloch do not want dialogue,” yet despite two months of peaceful demonstrations, they have been ignored. They argue that instead of addressing their demands, BYC leaders are being sent on extended remand while the pace of disappearances in Balochistan has increased. They have appealed to the United Nations, international human rights bodies, and the global community to hold Pakistan accountable.
In Karachi, the family of Zahid Ali Baloch, a university student and rickshaw driver, has been staging a sit-in outside the Press Club for over 40 days. Zahid was allegedly taken into custody along with his rickshaw several months ago and has not been seen since. His father, already battling hepatitis, collapsed due to ill health during the protest, forcing the family to temporarily suspend their hunger strike. Zahid’s mother said her son was the family’s only breadwinner, supporting his father’s treatment and household expenses, and that his disappearance has left the family in extreme distress.
Human rights groups, families, and political organisations continue to demand that all missing persons be produced before the courts and that the practice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan be ended.