Another two Baloch students forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces

Quetta, Oct 30 (IANS) Two more Baloch students were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan amid an escalating wave of enforced disappearances across the province, said a leading human rights organisation on Thursday.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that on October 28, two students, Bezan, aged 17 years and Jahanzaib, aged 19 years, both residents of Washuk district, became the latest victims of enforced disappearance.

Citing local sources, the rights body stated that personnel affiliated with Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) conducted coordinated raids during which the two students were forcibly disappeared from their homes. Their whereabouts remain unknown since their disappearance.

Highlighting the growing atrocities in Balochistan, another human rights body, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ), on Wednesday strongly condemned the enforced disappearances of four young Baloch students.

According to BVJ, on October 23, Pakistan’s Frontier Corps and Military Intelligence personnel abducted Hamood Baloch, Haroon Baloch, and Fahad Baloch from the Mand region in Kech district. Additionally, on October 17, another student, Asim Nawaz, was forcibly disappeared from Panjgur district.

“These abductions reflect a deeply troubling continuation of state-backed repression and collective punishment against the Baloch population. The targeting of minors and students underscores the systematic nature of these crimes,” the rights body stated.

The BVJ urged international human rights organisations and the United Nations to take urgent notice of these cases and pressure Pakistan to end its policy of enforced disappearances.

Meanwhile, as families and residents of Mand held a sit-in protest demanding the recovery of their loved ones subjected to enforced disappearance, Paank said, “The persistent denial of justice and accountability in cases of abduction and secret detention in Balochistan remains a grave violation of fundamental human rights and international law.”

“We stand with the affected families in their demand for truth, justice, and the immediate release of all disappeared persons, including Fahad son of Usman, Hamood son of Muhammad Jan, and Haroon son of Muhammad, who were reportedly taken by Pakistani security forces on 23 October. Promises of recovery without transparent action have repeatedly failed the victims, deepening mistrust and trauma within the community,” the rights body stressed.

Paank called on the Pakistani authorities to end the practice of enforced disappearances, ensure the safe return of all missing persons, and hold those responsible accountable.

--IANS

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