At least five Baloch students were allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance during a midnight raid in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
According to reports, personnel from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), along with plainclothes officers believed to be from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), raided a house in Quetta’s Essa Nagri area at around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday. Five students were allegedly taken away during the operation.
The missing students have been identified as:
Muhammad Yaseen (17), son of Miskan, resident of Shapuk Turbat Kech, FSc student
Shabiq (18), son of Muhammad Aslam, resident of Shapuk Turbat Kech, FSc student
Qadeer Ahmed (18), son of Pullen, resident of Umeri Khen Sami Turbat Kech, FSc student
Qadeer Lalla (17), son of Lalla, resident of Umeri Khen Sami Turbat Kech, FSc student
Akram Taqseer (16), son of Taqseer Ahmed, resident of Umeri Khen Sami Turbat Kech, Matric student
Their whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities have not issued any statement on the incident at the time of reporting.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) confirmed the incident in a statement, condemning the disappearances and stressing that all those taken are students. The group demanded their immediate release.
Enforced disappearances remain a persistent issue in Balochistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and other watchdogs have repeatedly condemned such cases, calling them violations of both domestic and international legal norms. They have urged authorities to either release the detainees or produce them in court.
The Pakistani authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the latest allegations. While officials often decline to comment on such cases, Baloch rights groups and international human rights organisations accuse Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies of involvement in enforced disappearances in the region.