Islamabad, September 11 (Daily Kiran) : In Islamabad, the troubling trend of enforced disappearances in Balochistan has historically targeted men. However, since 2025, women have increasingly become direct victims of this crackdown, highlighting a broader pattern of repression by Pakistani authorities across the province.
According to a report by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the government has been employing coercive tactics to extract confessions from individuals, particularly women. These women are often abducted without legal recourse, held in prolonged custody, and subjected to pressure and mistreatment to force them into admitting crimes. After weeks or months of detention, they are sometimes paraded in front of the public or shown in recorded videos, where they confess to actions they have consistently denied. The case of Mahgul Baloch is among the earliest examples of this disturbing pattern.
The report details an incident in February 2023 when Mahgul Baloch was taken into custody during a late-night raid on her home in Quetta’s Satellite Town, conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). Authorities later claimed that she was arrested with explosives and accused her of involvement in militant activities, including a suicide attack. Her family vehemently denied these allegations. Despite being held for 55 days under physical remand, officials failed to present any substantial evidence against her. Instead, a video emerged in which she appeared to confess to involvement in militant activities, a statement made while in police custody rather than in court.
The report indicates that the government’s longstanding practice of enforced disappearances has now extended to women, particularly in response to some Baloch women joining rebel groups, which include female suicide attacks against Pakistani security forces and government sites. While only a small number of Baloch women have participated in violent actions, they have emerged as significant voices in peaceful political activism over the past decade, especially against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
These women have led prolonged protests demanding the return of their missing relatives, accusing security agencies of abducting family members. The report highlights a notable march where hundreds of women and family members walked nearly 1,000 miles from Turbat in Balochistan to Islamabad, calling for the return of the disappeared, which drew national attention.
Sammi Deen Baloch, leader of the Baloch United Committee (BUC), noted in an interview last year that the rising incidents of enforced disappearances among men have compelled women to take on a leading role in the fight for justice. She stated, “We witnessed our men, brothers, and sons being systematically taken from their homes and educational institutions; they were forcibly taken while sleeping at night. In such circumstances, Baloch women had no choice but to take this fight into their own hands and lead the battle for justice.”
Leave a Comment