Amnesty International Denounces Enforced Disappearances of Baloch Students in Pakistan

Amnesty International has sounded the alarm over a disturbing trend of enforced disappearances targeting Baloch students in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. Mahjabeen Baloch, a student from the University of Balochistan, vanished on May 29, shortly after her brother Younas Baloch was reportedly abducted by security forces on May 24 according to posts on X.

The crackdown on Baloch students has intensified, with a series of raids following rallies in Quetta, capturing local activists like Mahrang Baloch. Javid Musafir Baloch, another student, disappeared after a law enforcement raid on April 23, while Guhram Ishaq was taken near Civil Hospital Quetta on April 24. Their locations remain unknown. Amnesty International urges Pakistani authorities to swiftly investigate these disappearances, disclose the fate of these missing individuals, and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted justly. These practices undermine Pakistan's human rights obligations internationally.

Notable leaders from the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) have criticized the operation leading to Mahjabeen Baloch's disappearance, alleging that it involved police, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and other security forces. Her brother, Younas, an engineering student, was seized earlier by the same units and remains unlocated. They assert that the Baloch community endures systemic oppression, where laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act are used to justify arbitrary detentions, prolonged incarceration without trial, and the erosion of fundamental legal rights. Reports of extrajudicial killings and torture further bolster claims of human rights abuses, shrouded by media censorship that stifles Baloch voices and obscures such injustices.

(With inputs from agencies.)