Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province is once again in the spotlight for alleged enforced disappearances, with seven new cases surfacing in recent days. Security forces’ aggressive operations following militant attacks have fueled accusations of extrajudicial abductions, reigniting a long-standing humanitarian emergency.
The first incident involved Mehran Baloch, a nursing student hailing from Bal-Nigor, who was detained by Pakistani troops outside Turbat’s hospital on January 15. His family reports no communication since, leaving them in limbo without charges or custody details.
In Kharan, post-attack crackdowns led to the seizure of Owais Ahmad Kambohani from Baloch Abad during a vehicle checkpoint. Three others – Muneeb Siapad, Makhfar Abid Siapad, and Ahmad Siapad – were reportedly vanished in the same sweeping actions, as per local accounts.
Quetta saw two more detentions in Killi Kambohani, where Abdul Qahar and Musawwir Kambohani were pulled from their residences. Relatives describe frantic searches yielding zero information from officials.
While five previously disappeared individuals have resurfaced at home, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) slammed the provincial cabinet’s Tuesday assertion that the missing persons issue is ‘resolved.’ ‘This is a blatant misrepresentation,’ HRCB declared, citing ongoing family ordeals.
Their annual data for 2025 reveals a staggering 1,455 enforced disappearances: predominantly men (1,443), with 12 women. Shockingly, over 1,052 are still unaccounted for, 317 freed, 83 perished in detention, and a mere three judicially processed.
HRCB underscored the illegality of warrantless arrests without court presentation, contravening national and global standards. ‘Enforced disappearance is an international crime, not political rhetoric,’ they asserted, decrying the dismissal of documented evidence as insulting to victims’ kin.
As Balochistan grapples with insurgency and state responses, these incidents highlight a cycle of distrust. Rights groups urge immediate investigations, releases, and systemic reforms to end the scourge of disappearances plaguing the province.
