Quetta

Enforced disappearances continue to be a significant issue in Balochistan, leading to persistent protests regarding the abductions of political activists, students, and journalists. Families of the victims have been holding a sit-in for the past three days outside the Kech DC office, demanding the safe return of their loved ones. However, local authorities have not managed to secure their release.

Protesters are accusing security forces and state-backed armed groups of these abductions. One case involves a young man named Siraj Ahmed from Nodaz, who was reportedly taken by a state-supported armed group while having lunch at a hotel. Witnesses stated that armed men bound his hands and feet before forcibly taking him away in a vehicle.

The kidnappers are believed to be part of a government-supported group known locally as the ‘Death Squad,’ which is alleged to operate across Balochistan and engage in various criminal activities, including kidnappings for ransom, enforced disappearances, extortion, and targeted killings of political activists.

Activists have claimed that these ‘death squads’ receive support from the Pakistani army and intelligence agencies as part of a strategy to suppress the ongoing independence movement in the region. Recently, the International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons reported that three more individuals were forcibly disappeared from the Kharan area during a search operation by Pakistani forces. While two of them were later released, one individual, Hafeezullah, remains missing.