Quetta, May 19 (IANS) A human rights body has condemned the intensifying wave of forced disappearances in Balochistan by the Pakistan government, calling it a “crime against humanity.”
The Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, Paank, on Monday revealed that seven more Baloch were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces from Balochistan.
Revealing a series of incidents in the month of May, the human rights body, in a statement, said that on Sunday, Waqas Baloch, son of Wazeer Khan, a resident of the Killi Sheikhan area in Mastung, was forcibly detained and taken away by the Pakistani security forces from his home.
“On May 18, 2025, Naveed Baloch, son of Izzat Baloch, a resident of the Jimuri area in Pasni Tehsil of Gwadar District, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces. On May 18, 2025, Advocate Chief Atta Ullah Baloch, son of Saleh Muhammad Shad, a resident of the Killi Shadi Khan area in Mastung, was forcibly detained and disappeared by Pakistani security forces from his home,” read the statement issued by Paank, revealing the other victims.
The human rights body also mentioned that on May 16, Pakistani officials called Shah Nawaz Baloch, son of Barpi, with his father, who lived in the Laki area in the Mashkai tehsil of the Awaran district, to military camp Nali. His father was permitted to leave, but Shah Nawaz was unlawfully held and has since vanished.
In another incident, on May 17, Ameen Ullah Baloch, a resident of Naseerabad, was forcibly disappeared from the Shaikhari area in Kalat by the forces. The same day, 13-year-old Fiaz Ali, a resident of Naseerabad, was also nowhere to be found.
The human rights body further stated that earlier on Saturday, Niaz Ali, a landlord by profession, a resident of Naseerabad, was forcibly disappeared from the Shaikhari area in Kalat.
Last week, Paank revealed that between April and May, five more individuals were forcibly disappeared across multiple districts of Balochistan, reflecting a persistent climate of fear, impunity, and state repression in the province.
“Victims are often taken without any legal procedure, warrant, or due process, and families are left in anguish with no information on their loved ones’ whereabouts or well-being,” it pointed out.
“The practice of enforced disappearances must be recognised as a crime against humanity, and perpetrators must be held accountable under international law,” it stated.
Paank had called on international human rights organisations, including the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the broader international community, to pressurise Pakistan to immediately release all forcibly disappeared persons and end its repressive policies in Balochistan.
The human rights body highlighted that these incidents reflect a broader and systemic policy of enforced disappearances that continues unabated in Balochistan.
–IANS
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