At least five Baloch individuals allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance from different locations, including Balochistan, Sindh and the Gulf state of Oman. Those affected include university students, a medical doctor and a lawyer, according to families and rights groups.
On 11 December, a Baloch lawyer, Muhammad Hassan Advocate, son of Doshambay, was reportedly taken into custody in Oman by local intelligence agencies. According to details shared by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), he was subsequently transferred to Pakistan. However, no official information has been provided regarding his current whereabouts.
Separately, a resident of Quetta told The Balochistan Post that on 9 December, his brother, Dr Rashid Ali, was summoned by state authorities via telephone. Family members state that when Dr Ali arrived at the specified location, he was taken into custody. They say no information has since been provided regarding his detention or location.
In Sindh, two students, Shoaib and Aftab, who were reported missing from the hostel of Sindh Agriculture University in Tando Jam, remain unaccounted for. Their families say the two students, who are enrolled at the University of Othal’s Wadh Campus, had travelled to Tando Jam along with fellow students for thesis-related practical work at the university’s agriculture department.
According to relatives, on 1 September 2025, personnel described as plain-clothes Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officers took Shoaib, Aftab and two other students from the hostel to an undisclosed location. The other two students; Imran, son of Saifullah, and Mehrullah, son of Muhammad Qasim, both residents of Wadh, were reportedly released on 4 September. Shoaib, son of Abdul Hai, and Aftab, son of Ghulam Mustafa, have remained missing for more than three months.
Meanwhile, reports from the Kech district in Balochistan indicate that Pakistani armed forces conducted raids in the Dashat Bilnagor area, during which several individuals were allegedly assaulted and taken into custody. The identities of those detained have not been confirmed.
In a separate incident, a young man identified as Jalal, son of Ishaq, was reportedly taken from Turbat’s Zor Bazaar on 11 December. His family said he was working at a medical store during the night shift when he was allegedly detained by Pakistani intelligence personnel.
Authorities have not issued official statements regarding any of these incidents.
Lawyer’s Alleged Detention and Deportation from Oman
The Balochistan Post has learned that Omani intelligence agencies allegedly detained and deported Muhammad Hassan Advocate to Pakistan, though his location remains unknown.
According to sources, the 45-year-old lawyer, a resident of Turbat’s Dashti Bazaar, was taken into custody in Muscat approximately four months ago and deported on 11 December. A close associate, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Mr Hassan was detained during a raid on his residence on 1 September at around 8pm. The operation was reportedly carried out jointly by plain-clothes officers — locally referred to as kandura-clad personnel — and the Royal Oman Police.
The source said that no information has been available regarding Mr Hassan’s whereabouts since his deportation. His detention and transfer came to light after the BYC issued a statement highlighting the case.
Family members told The Balochistan Post that Mr Hassan had lived in Gulf countries for over a decade, working primarily as a labourer. They said he had no involvement in political activities and had moved to Oman from the United Arab Emirates while preparing documentation to seek asylum in Europe.
Relatives added that his only connection to a sensitive case was that he had been an eyewitness to the 2009 abduction of Baloch National Movement (BNM) founder Ghulam Muhammad Baloch. Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, along with Lala Munir Baloch and Sher Muhammad Baloch, was taken into custody from a lawyer’s chamber in Turbat on 3 April 2009. Their bodies were later recovered, drawing international attention. Sources said Mr Hassan and another lawyer, Kachkol Baloch — now residing in Norway — were witnesses in that case, which may have contributed to his detention.
Neither the Omani government nor Pakistani authorities have officially confirmed Mr Hassan’s arrest or deportation.
This is the first reported case of a Baloch individual being detained in Oman and transferred to Pakistan. Previous reports have documented similar incidents involving Baloch activists detained in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The developments come amid broader security measures announced by the Balochistan government earlier this month. On 3 December, provincial authorities stated that a crackdown would be launched against approximately 300 suspected militants and that Interpol assistance would be sought to arrest leaders of proscribed organisations operating abroad.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, the decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, where officials reportedly presented evidence of links between overseas-based leaders of banned groups and their networks inside Pakistan.
Human rights activists say reports of enforced disappearances have persisted in Balochistan for over two decades and have increased in recent months. They argue that communication blackouts, fear and remoteness of affected areas mean that many cases remain unreported.