In a concerning incident of enforced disappearance, a young man from Awaran district in Pak-occupied-Balochistan has gone missing after being summoned to a Pak Army camp last year.

The missing individual has been identified as Zarif, son of Gumshad, a resident of the Malar area in Awaran. According to Zarif’s family, he was called to the military camp in Gishkaur on April 13, 2023 and was subsequently arrested and taken to an unknown location.

Since then, Zarif’s whereabouts have remained unknown, with his family and the local community desperately seeking information about his fate.

Enforced disappearances have been a persistent and alarming issue in the Pak-occupied-Balochistan province, with numerous cases reported on a daily basis. Baloch nationalist groups have been protesting against these disappearances for years, as the Pak security forces are the ones behind these abductions.

Furthermore, reports from the neighboring areas suggest the same pattern of abuse, where residents are often summoned to military camps and forced to report there every two days. They are also required to seek prior permission from the authorities even for routine travel.

The case of Zarif’s disappearance is the latest in a series of such troubling incidents that is continuing to instil fear and insecurity among the Baloch population.

Pak Army have initiated a military operation in the Dera Bugti region of Pak-occupied-Balochistan. Reportedly, Army personnel are conducting thorough searches of residences in various areas of Dera Bugti and are purportedly seizing recently harvested wheat and gram grains belonging to local shepherds.

The military operations are said to be underway in Kordan, Habib Rahi, Landi, Traki, and Siya Aaf of Dera Bugti, with personnel committing human rights violations, crimes, oppressive tactics. Army is conducting raids, loots, physical violence, abductions and brutality. Sher Mohammad Bugti, spokesperson for the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), has confirmed the ongoing military activity in Dera Bugti through a post on social media platform ‘X’.

However, no official information regarding the operation has been provided by the puppet authorities. Many such operations have been conducted by Pak Army in the past in the resource-rich Balochistan province.

While the Army has remained silent on the operation, the local community fears the impending repercussions. With images emerging from Bolan and gripping fear among the residents, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the region. Earlier in Feb, Pak Army conducted a military operation in Bolan district and committed rampant violence and turmoil. Military operations have become frequent in Pak-occupied-Balochistan, innocent Baloch community are living in fear and atrocity since the forceful occupation in 1948.

The families of Abdul Lateef Bangulzai, Nooruddin Bangulzai, and Faheem Bangulzai have blocked the Quetta to Karachi highway near the Mastung Nawab Hotel, demanding the safe return of their loved ones who have been victims of enforced disappearances.

Abdul Lateef, son of Safar Khan, was forcibly disappeared on June 16, 2023 at an Isplinji Frontier Corps checkpoint while riding a motorcycle to attend a wedding. Nooruddin Bangulzai was forcibly disappeared on July 25, 2013, and his whereabouts have remained unknown since then. Faheem Bangulzai was forcibly disappeared on December 6, 2023.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee, an organisation involved in Baloch rights advocacy, has urged people from Mastung and nearby areas to support the families and speak out against the rise of enforced disappearances in the region.

Sadly, enforced disappearances have become increasingly common in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan, which has long suffered under Islamabad’s control since 1948. Despite the region’s rich resources, Balochistan has faced neglect and oppression from the Pak establishment.

In an effort to maintain power over Balochistan, the Pak Army has resorted to brutal tactics like enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the abduction of Baloch youth and students. They are supporting the notorious death squads in the region.

Former Provincial Minister of Information Jan Muhammad Achakzai issued a threat through his social media post showcasing the true nature of the people in power. In retaliation to the recent deaths, he issued a threat to send the bodies of Baloch students studying in Punjab and those of Baloch residents in Punjab to Pak-occupied-Balochistan.

On his official “X” Twitter handle, he wrote a long threatening message to a Baloch user, stating that if the bodies of Punjabis are sent to Pak-occupied-Balochistan, the bodies of Baloch individuals will also be sent from Punjab. There are numerous Baloch students studying in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, and one crore Baloch people have been residing in southern Punjab for decades.

Later, after realizing that he had instigated the Baloch students through his hateful comment, Achakzai later deleted the tweet. However, the Baloch students and residents living in Punjab and Islamabad have been advised to remain cautious.

Baloch journalist Kiyya Baloch, based in Norway, tweeted that “the real threat to Balochistan is from people like him.”

Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari said that “it is very alarming that a former provincial minister of Pakistan is threatening the Baloch people with ethnic cleansing on social media.”

Mazari added that “instead of dealing with freedom fighters, these individuals are threatening innocent Baloch students throughout the country, which clearly demonstrates their intentions for ethnic cleansing.”

It is noteworthy that Jan Achakzai is known to be extremely close and supported by the Pak military, having been appointed as the provincial minister of Balochistan on the Army’s recommendation. He has a history of making controversial statements against missing persons.

Abdullah Abbas, the General Secretary of the Human Rights Council of Balochistan, described the former minister’s threats of “genocide Baloch people and target Baloch students in Punjab” as “extremely alarming” and indicative of “a worrying level of hatred” for the Baloch people.

Pak-occupied Balochistan has long suffered under the unlawful control of Pakistan, dating back to 1948. Despite being rich in resources, the region has been neglected by the Pak “establishment”.

In its efforts to maintain control over Pak-occupied Balochistan, the Pak Army has resorted to various oppressive tactics. These include enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the abduction of students. Additionally, reports suggest Pakistan’s support for death squads, further exacerbating the situation.