The cycle of enforced disappearances in Balochistan continues with new incidents reported in Quetta, Mastung, Gwadar district and Karachi, alongside the recovery of several previously missing individuals. Meanwhile, families of the disappeared renewed appeals for justice during a press conference in Quetta.
Three young men, including a university student, were reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance in separate incidents in Quetta and Mastung. According to local sources, Syed Ahmed Shah, a student in the Department of Education at the University of Balochistan, was taken into custody by personnel affiliated with Pakistani intelligence agencies at around 10 p.m. on 1 December. Witnesses stated that armed men emerged from a vehicle with tinted windows and forcibly took him from outside the main gate of the university.
In Mastung district, two men were reportedly taken into custody from Dasht, Jalab Gandan, and subsequently disappeared, according to community reports. The victims have been identified as Nadeem Kurd, son of Muhim Khan Kurd, a resident of Jalab gnadan and Fareed Kurd, son of Muhammad Rafiq Kurd, a resident of Quetta’s Railway Society.
On the night of 7 December, another enforced disappearance was reported from Pasni tehsil of Gwadar district. Farooq Ibrahim, son of Haji Ibrahim Kalmati and a resident of the Panwan area of Jiwani, was allegedly taken from his home by Pakistani forces, including members of a local “death squad”, according to family sources. The family emphasised that Farooq’s elder brother, the well-known car racer Tariq Kalmati, had also been forcibly disappeared on 11 May 2015, and his bullet-riddled body was recovered in Gwadar the following day.
On the same night, another case was reported from Karachi’s Sharafi area, where Ali Nawaz, son of Ali Bakhsh Kalmati and a resident of Panwan, was detained by Pakistani forces and subsequently disappeared.
Despite the continuing rise in new cases, three previously disappeared individuals were recovered, families confirmed. Jeeyand Liaqat, who had been arrested and charged in what relatives described as a fabricated First Information Report (FIR), was released on bail on 6 December, with his release formally confirmed the following day. Two other individuals — Chakar Akbar, son of Akbar Ali from Kech district, and Maroof Baloch, son of Pindok Baloch from Hub Chowki — were also recovered after having been forcibly disappeared earlier in November.
Separately, on 7 December, the family of another disappeared student, Shahzad Munir of the University of Balochistan, held a press conference at the Quetta Press Club. They expressed deep concern over what they described as a warrantless night-time raid by state personnel, during which Shahzad was taken into custody and moved to an undisclosed location.
Addressing journalists, the family said that no official explanation, legal justification or information regarding Shahzad’s detention had been provided by any state institution — a situation they characterised as a clear violation of constitutional rights. Citing Article 9 (Right to Life and Liberty) and Article 10-A (Right to a Fair Trial) of the Constitution of Pakistan, the family argued that detaining Shahzad without a warrant, charges or court appearance was contrary to the fundamental protections promised to all citizens.
The family stated they remained in a state of distress and uncertainty regarding Shahzad’s health and safety but underscored that their protest was entirely peaceful and within legal bounds. They called for his immediate recovery, or, if any charges exist, for him to be presented before a court in accordance with the law. They urged authorities to end the practice of secret detentions and to inform families of the whereabouts of detainees.
The family concluded by appealing to journalists to highlight the issue from the perspective of human rights, justice and constitutional obligations, stressing that violations of due process threatened the security and dignity of every citizen.