Balochistan Horror: 2 Minors Among 3 Latest Enforced Disappearances
Three people, including two 15-year-olds, have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearances in Balochistan, sparking fresh protests.
The crisis of enforced disappearances in Balochistan has intensified with reports of three more individuals, including two minors, being abducted by security agencies and government-backed groups. These latest incidents have added to the growing agony of families who have spent years searching for their loved ones in a region plagued by instability and state-led crackdowns.
Midnight Raids and Secret Detentions
The reports highlight a chilling pattern of abductions. In one instance, a 15-year-old student was allegedly snatched from his home in Killi Qambarani, Quetta, during a pre-dawn raid at approximately 3 am on October 27. The abduction is attributed to personnel from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI), and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
In another harrowing incident occurring in the Parom area of Panjgur on September 1, a 20-year-old man named Brahim Baloch and another 15-year-old boy were detained. Sources allege that a government-backed armed group, often referred to locally as a "death squad," captured the two individuals before handing them over to the Frontier Corps.
Families in Perpetual Grief
As new cases emerge, the families of other missing men have renewed their desperate pleas for recovery. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) continues its historic protest outside the Quetta Press Club, which has now entered its 6,404th day of demonstration.
Several families have recently approached the VBMP for intervention:
- Muhammad Rafiq: Allegedly disappeared from Awaran on August 22.
- Zafar Baloch: Detained from Quetta's Kirani Road on October 16 by CTD and other agency officials. Zafar's case is particularly tragic, as he had previously spent four years in disappearance before being released in 2018, only to be taken again.
- Takri Wahid Kurd and Dad Muhammad Kurd: These brothers were reportedly taken by Pakistani forces from the Maro area of Mastung on June 2, 2010. Despite judicial proceedings and commissions acknowledging their detention by state personnel, their current whereabouts remain unknown after more than a decade.
Demands for Justice and Transparency
Nasrullah Baloch, the chairman of the VBMP, has issued a stern call to the authorities to ensure the safe recovery of the missing individuals. He emphasized that the state must stop the practice of secret detentions.
The chairman demanded that any individual facing criminal allegations should be produced before a court of law and that their families must be formally informed of their location and status.
The recurring nature of these disappearances continues to fuel resentment and instability in the region, leaving thousands of families in a state of permanent uncertainty.