The remains of two individuals who had been missing for eight years were discovered in Khuzdar’s Zehri area. The deceased, identified as Abid Hussain, son of Ghulam Hussain Umrani, and Masti Khan, son of Gohar Khan Lottani, were found near the Zehri Gazzan Kocho road. Identification papers were recovered with the bodies, and they have been handed over to their families.
Abid Hussain’s mother had registered his enforced disappearance at the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) camp in Quetta on 15 August 2021. According to the family, Abid was abducted on 28 October 2017 by an influential figure’s aide, who allegedly handed him over to state authorities. The family reported knocking on many doors for justice, but only Abid’s remains were recovered now.
This discovery follows a series of similar incidents in Balochistan over the past 24 hours. Two other mutilated bodies, identified as Faqeer Jan and Essa, were found in Awaran. Faqeer Jan was reportedly detained at his residence during a raid by Pakistani security forces on 26 September 2024, while Essa had been missing since 17 February 2023.
Dr Mahrang Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, expressed grave concern over the recovery of four mutilated bodies of forcibly disappeared individuals in 24 hours. She highlighted that the issue of enforced disappearances continues to worsen in Balochistan, with families left without justice or closure.
Dr Mahrang, further adding to these incidents, said that Bashir Ahmed, who was forcibly disappeared from Gwadar despite an official admission of his detention by security forces, was also found dead recently. Similarly, the mutilated body of a young man, Israr Baloch, was discovered in Turbat a few days ago.
The situation remains dire as two brothers, Abubakar and Asim, sons of Hasil, were reportedly abducted by security forces in Gwadar four days ago. The brothers, who had recently moved to Gwadar for work, were taken from their residence in a raid that allegedly involved physical abuse of women and children and the confiscation of mobile phones.
In a rare instance of relief, two missing individuals were recovered and returned to their families. Famous footballer Faisal Speed, son of Haji Hussain, who had been missing for two years, was recovered in Turbat and reunited with his family. Similarly, Siddiq, son of Dil Murad from Gichk, who had been missing since his abduction in Karachi, returned home.
Human rights activists, including Mahrang Baloch, have called on international organisations to take immediate notice of the escalating issue of enforced disappearances and the alarming pattern of finding mutilated bodies of those missing. “The Pakistani military is killing forcibly disappeared individuals and discarding their mutilated bodies”, Dr Mahrang said.