Quetta, April 3: Four more citizens have gone missing in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. This incident has emerged against the backdrop of increasing enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the region. Human rights organizations have expressed heightened concerns following this event.
The Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, known as ‘Pank’, condemned the abduction of a Baloch youth named Kareem from the Jusak area in Turbat, Kech district.
The organization stated, “The pattern of abductions carried out in broad daylight by armed individuals and unidentified vehicles reflects a disturbing trend of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Such actions violate fundamental human rights, including the rights to liberty, security, and due process, as enshrined in both national and international law.”
Pank also reported that on March 31, a Baloch student named Shayhak Rahim was abducted from the main market in Turbat by a Pakistan-backed death squad. The organization noted that this daytime incident illustrates an atmosphere of fear and impunity in the region.
Expressing grave concerns for Rahim’s safety and well-being, Pank remarked, “Abduction is a serious violation of human rights that impacts the rights to liberty, security, and due process. Such incidents not only devastate families but also cause widespread psychological trauma within communities.”
In another case, a student named Noor Khan was taken on March 28 by personnel of the Pakistani army from the Pasni area in Gwadar district. According to eyewitnesses, Noor was abducted in broad daylight, raising serious questions about the ongoing pattern of targeting students and civilians in the province.
Additionally, the organization reported that another student, Sameer, was abducted on March 20 by the Pakistani Military Intelligence (MI) from Gwadar.
Pank has also expressed serious concerns regarding the continued disappearance of retired Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Bakhsh Sajidi, his brother Naeem Sajidi, and engineer Rafiq Baloch, who was a former head of Sui Gas in the province.
The organization stated, “This case is not an isolated incident. It reflects a larger and systematic policy of collective punishment by the Pakistani government, where family members of political activists are targeted in an attempt to suppress dissent.”
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