Quetta, June 21 (IANS) At least nine people, including a 15-year-old tailor, two labourers and a university student, have been reported missing after being detained by Pakistani forces in separate incidents in several areas of Balochistan province, local media reported.
Six of the latest cases have been reported in Balochistan’s Panjgur district. According to local sources, Saadullah was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces from a shop in Kohda Hakim Bazaar in Parom on June 15. Three men – Aziz, Sadiq and Latif were taken from their homes in Parom on June 20, according to sources, The Balochistan Post reported.
The sources further revealed that Zahid, a university student from Parom, was detained from the university premises in Panjgur city on June 10. Since then, no information regarding the whereabouts of the six men has emerged.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Adil Baloch, a labourer, was detained by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel from the Sariab area on June 6, according to his family. He has remained missing since then.
Sher Zaman Baloch (15) was taken from his tailoring workshop in the Killi Almas area on June 17. Baloch’s family said Pakistani forces detained him from the workshop, and they have not received any information regarding his whereabouts since then.
Separately, Obaid Baloch (18) has remained missing after he was taken into custody from Dalbandin in Chagai district on June 14, The Balochistan Post reported.
Meanwhile, two men from Keech who had been missing since November last year were released from Karachi’s Mauripur area on June 17.
On June 1, a leading human rights organisation highlighted escalating abuses by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, documenting 53 killings and 124 cases of enforced disappearance across the province.
In its latest report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) recorded a total of 53 killings in April, including 44 men and nine women, while the identities of seven victims could not be verified.
“Targeted killings were the most frequently recorded category, accounting for 16 cases, followed by bombardment and shelling with 12 cases, and custodial killings with 11 cases. Honour killings were documented in seven cases, while fake encounters and firing incidents accounted for four and three cases, respectively,” the report noted.
As per the findings, a total of 124 individuals were forcibly disappeared during the same period, including eight women and five teenagers. It added that while a limited number of victims were later released, most remain unaccounted for.
“Most enforced disappearances occurred through house raids, which account for the overwhelming majority of cases (98 out of 124). Detentions (16 cases) and road interceptions (8 cases) were also documented, while summonses to camps were recorded in 2 cases. Overall, the data shows a heavy reliance on direct home-based operations compared to other methods,” it detailed.
–IANS
akl/uk