Another Baloch civilian forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces

by IANS |

Quetta, Dec 9 (IANS) Another Baloch civilian was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces amid a growing wave of enforced disappearance across the province, a leading human rights organisation said on Tuesday.

This latest act comes against the backdrop of a continuing cycle of persecution marked by a surge in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture across the province.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that on December 7, Rustam Khan, a resident of the Killi Qambrani area in the provincial capital Quetta, was forcibly taken from his home by Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

Highlighting atrocities in Balochistan, the rights body on Monday revealed that at least three Baloch civilians, including two students, had fallen victim to enforced disappearance at the hands of CTD. All three were residents of Killi Suhrab Khan Qambrani in Quetta.

The rights body stated that on December 5, Hammal Qambrani, a student, was forcibly disappeared from the Dasht area in the Mastung district by the CTD.

Additionally, on December 6, Bebarg Qambrani, a driver by profession and Hairbyar Baloch, another student, were forcibly taken from their respective homes by the CTD.

Meanwhile, describing the enforced disappearances as a "systematic policy of genocide", the Baloch National Movement (BNM) stated that the Pakistani army's policy of enforced disappearances -- its so-called secret "Operation Silence" -- has escalated into uncontrolled state terrorism.

"No one is safe. Educated Baloch, particularly professors and students, have become prime targets. In Balochistan, attachment to Baloch culture, language, or national identity is now treated by the state as an 'anti-Pakistan' stance, punishable by enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing," the BNM mentioned.

Expressing concern over the worsening situation, the organisation further said, "These incidents represent only a small glimpse of the human rights crisis in Balochistan. Thousands remain forcibly disappeared. Every day, more people are abducted and taken to torture cells by the Pakistan Army without any legal procedures or court oversight. Extrajudicial killings have become routine."

The BNM called on international human rights organisations to take serious and concrete action against the crimes committed by the Pakistani state and to hold it accountable before global institutions.