The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) on Monday expressed “deep concern” over the alleged enforced disappearances of two Baloch women, calling for their immediate recovery and warning that the targeting of women and girls reflects an escalating pattern of state repression across Balochistan.
At a press conference in Quetta, VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch and Secretary General Hooran Baloch said the organization had received a formal complaint from the family of 15-year-old Nasreena Baloch, who was taken into custody during a midnight raid in Hub Chowki on 22 November.
According to the family, Pakistani forces raided a house near Daroo Khan Hotel and detained Nasreena, daughter of Dilawar, before transferring her to an undisclosed location. Since the raid, they said, no information has been provided about her condition, location or legal status.
The VBMP said the disappearance of Mahjabeen Baloch, a University of Balochistan student taken into custody on 29 May from Civil Hospital Quetta, remained unresolved six months later. Her family has not received any official update, and she has not been produced before any court.
The VBMP leaders said the cases represented “a clear violation of national laws, constitutional protections and basic human rights,” adding that if authorities had any charges against the women, they should be presented before a court and given the right to legal defence. They warned that if both women were not released soon, the organization would launch widespread protests.
The VBMP appealed to the Balochistan government to take immediate notice of the matter and “end the suffering of the affected families,” saying the enforced disappearance of women marked a dangerous escalation in an already severe human rights crisis.
Rights activists and political organizations say the two cases reflect an expanding pattern of the enforced disappearance of Baloch women, an escalation that has drawn repeated criticism in recent weeks.
On Sunday, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Mahrang Baloch said the disappearance of 15-year-old Nasreena exposed “the face of ongoing oppression, brutality and genocide in Balochistan.” She said the raid in Hub Chowki was “yet another example of the daily crimes committed against Baloch civilians,” adding that age, gender and disability offered no protection, citing the disappearance of disabled student Mahjabeen Baloch as proof.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said the detention of women without judicial process violated international law, the Geneva Conventions and basic human rights, adding that such cases had pushed families into “trauma, grief and permanent insecurity.”
In a separate statement, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) urged public mobilization, calling the raid and detention of Nasreena a “direct state attack on Baloch societal norms.”
BWF organizer Dr Shalee Baloch said enforced disappearances of women had shaken the social fabric of Baloch society, adding, “Women have always been a symbol of dignity in our society, but today, the state agencies are openly challenging the Baloch code, conduct and norm.”
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the BWF announced an online campaign under the hashtag #SaveBalochWomen, urging citizens to join a coordinated protest on X from 6 p.m. to midnight on 25 November.