Yet another distressing incident of enforced disappearance occurred in Gwadar, Pak-occupied Balochistan where a young student named Mohsin Baloch, has been forcibly disappeared from Gwadar by the Pak Army on 2 February 2024.

The victim Mohsin Baloch, is an internally displaced person (IDP) who had to flee his hometown, Dasht Kombel, after continuous military operations that led to disappearances, killings, and the burning of his other family members’ houses.

This is another despicable act in less than a week of abduction of a Baloch student named Mehboob Baloch, who was a fifth-semester student at Lasbela University of Agriculture, was en route to his hometown Turbat, Kech for a vacation when he was abducted by the Pak Army from a passenger bus in the Gwadar district of Pak-occupied. This incident ignited the Baloch students to protest and block the Makkoran Coastal Highway road.

Additionally, ten cases of forced disappearances from Dera Bugti were reported in the last week of January itself. The victims are identified as Master Ghaus Bakhsh, GTA District President, Jamhoori Watan Party activist, Rahim Dad, Swali Bugti, Atifullah and three unidentified youths from Shahzain Pump area of Sui are reported missing

Reportedly in Paank annual report of 2023, a total of 576 cases of enforced disappearance were recorded in 2023 alone. The Pak Army has caused a heinous violation of the human rights of the Baloch community since their forceful control of Balochistan on March 27, 1948. Since then, the Baloch people have faced frequent home invasions, torture, enforced disappearances, kidnappings for ransom and target killings.

Recently, Michael Martin, Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed grave concerns in written form raised by Paul Murphy, Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency, regarding Pakistan Army’s war crimes in Pak-occupied Balochistan.

During a Human Rights debate on January 30, 2024, in the lower house, Dáil Éireann, Deputy Paul Murphy brought up the urgent matter of ongoing war crimes in Pak-occupied Balochistan in a written inquiry. He mentioned in particular the enforced disappearances since 2000 of thousands of Baloch activists, including academics, physicians, lawyers, and students. Murphy’s investigation aimed to ascertain whether Ireland would oppose Pakistan’s conduct and explore options like applying sanctions to stop these violations.

Minister Martin responded by recognizing the intricate instability in Balochistan. Speaking of recent bilateral talks in Islamabad, he underlined Ireland’s continued engagement with Pakistan, saying, “Our discussions with the Pakistan establishment have been thorough, covering a wide range of political and human rights issues.”

The Minister explained Ireland’s stance on sanctions, emphasizing that although it does not apply sanctions on its own, it actively carries out UN and EU sanctions as part of an integrated policy strategy. He pledged to keep working to bring up human rights issues with Pakistan in multilateral and bilateral fora. The Minister also voiced concern about the recent escalation of regional hostilities, which could further destabilize the area and include airstrikes in Balochistan by Pakistan and Iran.

Furthermore, the minister also highlighted how Ireland’s foreign policy is based on a broader commitment to human rights. He described Ireland’s positive participation in the UN Human Rights Council, wherein it pushed Pakistan to amend its laws on blasphemy and institute an independent inquiry into enforced disappearances. The recommendations put forth are intended to tackle discrimination and guarantee responsibility for human rights violations.

The Minister also stated that, while an Irish embassy is being opened in Islamabad later this year, the Irish embassy in Türkiye, which is accredited to Pakistan, is monitoring the situation in Pakistan closely in close consultation with the EU Delegation.

The people of Pak-occupied Balochistan are battling against the atrocities and Baloch genocide committed by the Pak Army of daily home raids, disappearances, staged encounters, target killings, torture, humiliation at checkpoints, and kidnappings for ransom they have been subjected to since the Pakistan Army forcefully occupied their region on March 27, 1948. It is highly crucial that the international community stands in solidarity with the Baloch people and takes decisive action to address their grievances and ensure justice and freedom for all.

In a defiant move, families of people who were forcibly disappeared by the Pak Army blocked the main road from Turbat to Karachi at D Baloch and are demanding the release of their loved ones. Six families held a sit-in, and more joined as a show of support.

The families of the victims are urging the public to participate in their demonstration and amplify their call for justice. They call for the prompt release of the missing individuals: Abid Washdil, Adeel Iqbal, Ahmed Nazeer, Shoaib Laiquait, Jahanzaib Fazal and Zareeef Mohammad Bakhsh.

Their staunch appeal echoes across the region, highlighting the atrocities they face from the Pak Army with forced disappearances of their loved ones. As the sit-in protest gains momentum, the pressure on the Pak “establishment” and their puppet authorities increases to resolve the ongoing human rights crisis and genocide in the region.

This is not an isolated incident, recently the family of Bahadur Chakar from the Tejaban area in the Kech district also persisted for a sit-in protest against the forced disappearance of their relative by the Pak Army. In not more than three days, seven Baloch students have been detained from two districts and have been shifted to unknown locations by the brutal Pak “establishment”, only adding to the anguish of the affected families.  

The affected families’ challenges continue to occur, highlighting the critical need for attention and action. The horrifying reality of enforced disappearances in Pak-occupied Balochistan, spanning decades, continues to unfold. Since March 27, 1948, the oppressive Pak Army has been forcibly occupying Balochistan and waging a systematic war against humanity. Since then, the Baloch community have experienced numerous forced disappearances, home invasions, torture, kidnappings for ransom, and targeted killings.

There were multiple attacks throughout Pak-occupied Balochistan, resulting in numerous casualties and property damage from explosions and gun attacks.

A bomb blast in the capital Quetta, resulted in the death of one person near the police post on Sabzal Road. The identity of the victim is still unknown.

Two more consecutive blasts occurred on Qambarani Road in Quetta, which targeted a Police Eagle Force vehicle and the PML-N election office. Hand grenades were used by unidentified individuals on the PML-N office, while IEDs were used on the Eagle Forces vehicle. The Eagle Forces vehicle was severely damaged, but no casualties were reported.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice of the attacks on election candidates and has asked the Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Pak-occupied Balochistan for a report as soon as possible.

In another incident, a trawler transporting precious stones was ambushed by unidentified gunmen in the Mangochar area of Kalat on the N-25 highway that connects Karachi and Quetta. This is the second incident in the past 24 hours involving attacks on companies engaged in resource exploration on the same highway.

Additionally, a hand grenade that was thrown at the Pakistan Coast Guard’s office’s main gate failed to detonate. The grenade was neutralized by the bomb disposal team.

Sepoy Mudasir, a soldier, was hurt when an unidentified person threw a hand grenade at the Central Jail in the Mastung district. He was taken to the hospital. Furthermore, there were no injuries reported from the hand grenade that was thrown at the Deputy Commissioner (FC) office in the Panjgur neighbourhood of Chitkan.

Unidentified armed men stormed a coal mine in the Dukki district and kidnapped two miners—Haider and Masood—who were Paktia, Afghanistan, residents. In addition to expressing worry about the incident, the miners confirmed that they had received threats from the attackers to quit working at the mine site immediately.

Separately, in the Noshki district, unidentified armed men attacked a Pak Army outpost. Six more attacks targeted the positions of Pak Army in various parts of the Kech district yesterday.

One Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was reportedly hurt in Turbat city by a grenade attack on an FC post at Ghulam Nabi Chowk.

Four separate attacks were carried out by unidentified armed men on the Pak Army outposts in the districts of Kech, Ginnah, Sami Kalag, and Shepchar of Mand. Reportedly losses of life and property have been indicated to the Pak Army in these attacks, but authorities have not issued a statement yet.

Meanwhile, a Pak Army post in the Hoshap area of Kech was targeted by more than ten rockets, and the Pak Army sustained significant casualties.

Four people were injured in a cracker blast on the national highway in the Jafarabad district’s Dera Allah Yar area. They were subsequently transported to the hospital.

Over 29 attacks on the Pak Army, political candidates, and companies exploring natural resources have occurred in the last 24 hours in various districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Khuzdar, Kech, Panjgur, Dukki, Kalat, Noshki, Mastung, and Hub Chowki. So far, no organization has taken credit for these attacks.

Since the Pak Army forcibly occupied Balochistan on March 27, 1948 tensions have persisted in the region. The Pak Army has perpetrated severe human rights violations and genocide against the Baloch people. The resource-rich region has been inflicted with the brutal “kill and dump” policy, enforced disappearances, indiscriminate shooting and extra-judicial killings. To remove the Pak Army and their violence, freedom fighters have emerged in the region. Their sole motive is to seek independence from Pakistan and protect the Baloch ethnic group from the ongoing atrocities.

In a distressing incident, an 18-year-old Baloch college student Sepehr Shirani from Fanuj city occupied Balochistan passed away while under the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Sepehr was detained two days ago and he endured fatal torture while in custody. The agents said that Shirani’s arrest was due to the publication of critical posts on social media. However, the truth has not been revealed yet.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Sepehr Shirani’s death has not yet been satisfactorily explained by the IRGC or the Iranian legal system. Furthermore, they have not given the student’s body to his grieving family yet.

It is noteworthy that on January 30, Sepehr Shirani was detained in Zahedan by the IRGC on suspicion of engaging in “social media activities.” The lack of transparency here raises questions about potential violations of human rights and the necessity of a comprehensive investigation.

Notably in recent years, there have been multiple instances of suspicious citizen deaths and murders in police detention facilities, security facilities, and courtrooms. Investigations have been unable to conclusively identify offenders or hold authorities accountable.