The bodies of two men have been recovered from different areas of Balochistan, in what local residents and rights groups say reflects a continuing pattern of enforced disappearances followed by the recovery of tortured bodies.
The first body was found in the Ginnah area of Turbat in Kech district. The deceased was identified as Mir Dost, son of Ubaid Ullah, a resident of Koshkalat, Tump.
Local sources said Mir Dost had been forcibly disappeared on 13 February 2025 by personnel of Pakistani armed forces and members of a local “death squad.” His family said he remained missing for nearly nine months despite repeated appeals to authorities.
In a statement issued on X, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said the recovery of Mir Dostโs body โconfirms his extrajudicial execution while in custody.โ The group alleged he had been taken from his home and that his body was later dumped in a remote area.
The BYC said the case is part of a โdisturbing and persistent pattern of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.โ It said families continue to suffer unbearable grief as โstate-backed violence escalates with impunity,โ adding that the absence of accountability has left people in a constant state of fear.
In another incident, the body of Ameenullah, son of Jan Muhammad and a resident of Gichk, Panjgur, was found near Airport Road.ย Local sources said the body bore signs of torture. Local authorities shifted the body to a hospital and later handed it over to the family. The motive behind the killing remains unknown.
Meanwhile, two more individuals have reportedly disappeared after being detained by Pakistani armed forces in Gwadar and Karachi.
Local sources said Amjad, son of Ghulam Muhammad and a resident of Dasht Zareen Bug, went missing from Karachi Airport. Family members said he had been living in the United Arab Emirates for work and was returning home when he was detained by Pakistani forces before disappearing.
Similarly, another resident of Dasht Zareen Bug, Hakeem Shareef, was taken into custody in Gwadar a week ago and has been missing since. His family said Hakeemโs disappearance has revived fears, recalling that his father, Shareef, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani armed forces in 2015 and remained missing for four years before being released.
Enforced disappearances have been a long-standing concern in Balochistan, where rights groups and local organizations have repeatedly accused Pakistani armed forces, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and state-backed armed groups โ often referred to as โdeath squadsโ โ of involvement in such cases.
Families of the disappeared, along with political and social organizations, continue to hold demonstrations and sit-ins across the region, demanding the safe return of their loved ones. Activists say there has been little progress in addressing the issue.