At least six people, including a 15-year-old boy and a university student, have reportedly been forcibly disappeared in separate incidents in Balochistan and Karachi, according to statements by their families and student organisations.
According to the reports, five people were allegedly detained from different locations in Khuzdar, Kech and Sibi districts of Balochistan, while another man was taken away from his shop in Karachi.
In Khuzdar, 22-year-old student Abdullah Baloch, son of Rasheed, was reportedly detained near Islamic School at around 6.30 pm on 4 November. According to the information received, personnel belonging to a local “death squad” took him into custody, after which his whereabouts became unknown.
In the Kech district, two residents of the Buleda area were reportedly detained by Frontier Corps (FC) personnel on the night of 3 November. Nasim Baloch, 20, son of Iqbal Baloch and a resident of Sorap, was allegedly taken from his home at around 1 am. The same night, 15-year-old Asif Baloch, son of Fazal Baloch and a resident of Reko, was also reportedly taken from his home by FC personnel. Both have remained missing since.
Meanwhile, two residents of Sangan in Sibi district were reportedly detained by personnel of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
Gul Ahmed, 37, a farmer and son of Akhtar Mohammad, was allegedly taken from his home at around 11 pm on 22 October. Zahir Baloch, 37, a driver and son of Dad Mohammad, was reportedly detained from Sibi city at around 11 pm on 21 October. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
In a separate incident in Karachi, Farooq Gador, a resident of Mari Pur, was reportedly taken away by personnel in plain clothes from his shop near Mari Pur Main Stop at around 7 pm on 5 November.
According to his family, the personnel arrived at the shop and took him away. No information about his whereabouts has emerged since the incident. His family has called on the authorities to ensure his immediate recovery or, if he has been detained in connection with a legal case, to produce him before a court and inform them of his whereabouts.
Separately, the Baloch Students Council Punjab has condemned the reported disappearance of Saqlain Baloch, a member of the Baloch Students Council Bahawalpur and a student at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.
In a statement issued on 6 November, the council said more than a week had passed since Saqlain’s disappearance, but no credible information about his whereabouts had been provided to his family.
The council said the disappearance of a student raised serious concerns about the rights and security of Baloch students, adding that such incidents affected not only individuals and their families but also the wider academic environment. It demanded that Saqlain be safely recovered and presented before a court if any legal charges existed against him.
The council also called for transparent investigations into cases of enforced disappearances, accountability for those responsible and effective measures to prevent such incidents. It urged student organisations, lawyers, human rights groups, journalists and civil society to raise their voices for Saqlain’s recovery.
Families of the missing individuals have similarly called on the authorities to disclose their whereabouts and ensure their safe recovery. They have urged the authorities to present anyone held in connection with a legal case before the courts in accordance with the law.