Baloch Students Among Six Reported Missing Across Pakistan
Rights groups raise alarms as four Baloch students and two others are reported missing across Pakistan in alleged enforced disappearances.
Human rights organizations have sounded a loud alarm following reports that six individuals, including four Baloch students, have allegedly been subjected to enforced disappearances in separate incidents across Balochistan, Punjab, and Islamabad. The reports highlight a disturbing pattern of detentions by state agencies, leaving families in a state of agonizing uncertainty.
Recent Disappearances: A Trail of Missing Youth
The latest wave of disappearances involves students and civilians taken from various locations across the country. According to reports by The Balochistan Post, the incidents include:
- Hizbullah Langove: A 23-year-old student who was reportedly detained by personnel from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Quetta’s Airport Road on July 12. He has not been seen since.
- Unnamed 15-year-old student: A resident of Dera Ghazi Khan who was allegedly picked up by CTD personnel from the Centaurus Mall in Islamabad on October 30 and moved to an undisclosed location.
- Saqlain Baloch: A Bachelor of Education student at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. The Baloch Students Council Bahawalpur alleges that state agency personnel forcibly removed him from a rickshaw outside Japan Town on Hasilpur Road on October 29. His family claims that police have provided no information and no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered.
- Rahmdil Baloch: A 35-year-old shopkeeper from the Parom area of Panjgur. He was allegedly taken from a Frontier Corps (FC) camp on October 24 by personnel from the FC and Military Intelligence (MI).
Five Years of Silence: The University of Balochistan Case
While new cases emerge, the trauma of older disappearances continues to haunt the region. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) has maintained a persistent protest outside the Quetta Press Club for a staggering 6,405 consecutive days.
VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch pointed out that November 1 marked exactly five years since Sohail Ahmed and Muhammad Faseehullah Shah vanished. Both were students of Pakistan Studies at the University of Balochistan when they disappeared in 2021.
Broken Promises and Growing Outrage
The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) has expressed sharp criticism toward the Pakistani government. The committee highlighted a failed assurance from authorities, who had previously promised that the missing students would either be released or produced before a court of law within 30 days.
The BSAC lamented that five years have now passed since the disappearance of the University of Balochistan students without any meaningful progress or accountability, fueling further distrust and desperation among the Baloch community.