The grim practice of enforced disappearances continues unabated in Pak-occupied-Balochistan. Two more young men reportedly went missing from the Kech and Gwadar districts over the weekend amid raids and detentions by security forces.
Nizam Baloch, who was detained on May 9 from Gwadar district, was freed on Monday after four days in custody. However, this respite was overshadowed by fresh reports of enforced disappearances in the region.
Pak forces conducted a raid in the Surbandan area of Gwadar district and forcibly arrested a young man identified as Mohsin Baloch, son of Raheem Baksh, a young fisherman from Surbandan. His whereabouts remain unknown after being moved to an undisclosed location.
Another Baloch student Niyaz Abdul was forcibly disappeared by Pak forces on Monday.
Gwadar has witnessed an intense search operation by Pak Army over the past week, resulting in several detentions. Five of the missing persons from this operation have been identified as Sameer, son of Hamza; Bilal, son of Raza Muhammad; Dur Muhammad, son of Kareem Baksh; Ameer, son of Aslam; and Amaan, son of Jamadar.
Moreover, on Sunday around 7 p.m. in Kech district, forces forcibly arrested Adam, son of Soomar, a resident of Balgatar Lop area. Adam was the sole breadwinner for his family engaged in the oil import business from Iran. The day before his abduction, upon returning from the border, he was detained by Army-sponsored armed groups, commonly referred to as “Death Squads.”
Pak Army and intelligence agencies are forming these “Death Squads” and granting them impunity to perpetrate crimes like enforced disappearances across the region.
Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies are solely complicit in the enforced disappearances of Baloch citizens. Families have led numerous protests demanding the recovery of their missing loved ones. However, since Pakistan has forcefully occupied Balochistan since 1948, it is exploiting its resources while oppressing Baloch community.