Quetta, Sep 5 (IANS) At least 11 Baloch civilians were forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani forces during separate raids in Balochistan as the cycle of persecution continues amid an escalating wave of enforced disappearances across the province, a leading human rights organisation revealed on Friday.
Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, mentioned that the 11 people were forcibly disappeared from Dera Bugti and Pirkoh region of the province on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the rights body, four individuals identified as Waseem, Muhammad Jan, Muhammad Hussain, and Kaleero were abducted from Dera Bugti City on Wednesday. While another seven people, including Ali Hussain, Abdul Sattar, Balak Sher, Atta Muhammad, Nawab Khan, Siddiq, and Gulzar, were forcibly disappeared from the Pir Koh area on Thursday night.
Highlighting the mass enforced disappearance, the Baloch Republican Party(BRP) media cell said, locals confirmed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel are illegally detaining people, labeling them as supporters of Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti, President of BRP.
“Authorities then demand millions of rupees in ransom through local death squads or ‘waderas’ for the release of the abductees. Those who can afford to pay the ransom to CTD and ISI are released, while those who cannot are kept in custody for years without justice,” BRP media cell stated.
Meanwhile, a Baloch family protesting the enforced disappearance of their son by Pakistani forces continued its sit-in demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club for the 32nd consecutive day.
Zahid Ali, a 25-year-old International Relations student at the University of Karachi, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces on July 17, along with his rickshaw that he drove part-time to support his family, stated the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Friday,
“His father, Abdul Hameed —a hepatitis patient — continues to sit at the camp despite deteriorating health, refusing to leave without his son’s safe return,” said the BYC
The rights body urged students, journalists, rights defenders, and citizens of Karachi to visit the camp, stand in solidarity, and amplify the demand for Zahid’s immediate release.
Furthermore, several Baloch families continued their sit-in protest in Islamabad for the 52nd consecutive day on Friday against enforced disappearance and illegal detention of the BYC leaders.
“For nearly two months, these families, including elderly women, mothers, and children, have braved scorching heat, heavy rains, harassment, and constant surveillance. Yet, their demand remains simple and just: the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leaders and an end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan,” the BYC highlighted.
The right body alleged that despite the prolonged protest, the Pakistani authorities continue to block access to the National Press Club in Islamabad, deny permission for a camp, and subject participants to intimidation instead of addressing their legitimate grievances.
–IANS
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