Quetta, January 27 (). The Pakistani army has forcibly disappeared at least three more Baloch civilians in Balochistan province, a leading human rights organization said on Tuesday.
The latest incidents come amid a growing wave of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings across the province.
Condemning these incidents, the Human Rights Department of the Baloch National Movement, Pank, said that Ali Ahmed Reki, a 40-year-old teacher from Surab district of the province, was abducted by the personnel of Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) from Ganj Chowk area of the provincial capital Quetta on January 24. There has been no trace of him since then.
The rights organization further said that 25-year-old Dr Shahzain Ahmed of Surab was also abducted by the CTD on the same day and from the same place.
Highlighting the atrocities against civilians in Balochistan, Pank also brought up the disappearance of Junaid Ahmed, a 22-year-old student from Surab. He was kidnapped by CTD from Children’s Hospital, Quarry Road, Quetta on January 23.
Baloch Students Organization (BSO), Azad on Monday wrote a letter to international human rights organizations and activists to draw attention to the serious and persistent human rights violations against civilians in Balochistan, which coincided with the Baloch Genocide Day.
According to the student organisation, Baloch Genocide Day, observed on January 25, commemorates the thousands of Baloch men, women and children who have faced systematic persecution, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and mass punishment for decades under Pakistan’s ‘colonial rule’ in Balochistan.
The letter detailed, “Multiple reports from human rights defenders, local and international activists, journalists, and victims’ families document persistent and enduring patterns of serious human rights violations. These include enforced disappearances, including detention without due process of law for long and indefinite periods; extrajudicial ‘kill and throw’ practices in which mutilated bodies are recovered after disappearing for months or years; torture and other cruelties in custody, Inhuman or degrading treatment and suppression of freedom of expression targeting students, journalists, political activists, and human rights defenders.
It added, “Women and children have been particularly affected. Families of those forcibly disappeared have been protesting peacefully for years, and often face intimidation, harassment, and retaliation. Educational institutions and employment have been disrupted, leading to widespread social and economic marginalization of the Baloch population. Despite repeated appeals, there remains a persistent lack of independent, impartial investigations and effective accountability mechanisms.”
BSO urged global human rights organizations to support an independent international investigation of human rights violations in Balochistan and to raise these concerns at relevant international forums, including the United Nations.
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DKP/
