Quetta [Pakistan], August 17 : Unrest continues in Balochistan as Pakistan's army forcibly abducted singer Riaz Ahmed Baloch for protesting against the oppression of the Pakistani regime.
Pakistan's security forces are accused of committing severe atrocities against the Baloch community. Riaz Ahmed Baloch, a singer, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces in Quetta, The Balochistan Post reported.
Quoting the statement of the Baloch Yakjheti Committee, The Balochistan Post report also stated that Riaz Ahmed Baloch was abducted on the evening of August 14 at 7 pm, a resident of Jinnah Town, Killi Shabo.
He has been targeted due to his singing. His family plans to hold a press conference to demand his release and will announce further actions if he is not freed.
Bebarg Baloch, a leader of the BYC, criticised the Pakistani state for failing to honour agreements made during the Baloch Raaji Muchi (Baloch National Gathering) negotiations.
He noted that one of the agreements was to protect activists involved in or supporting the gathering, but instead, there has been an increase in enforced disappearances.
Notably, the Baloch community has been on the receiving end of the human rights abuses inflicted by the Pakistani army for decades. Earlier the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), known as PAANK, released its July report detailing ongoing abuses in Balochistan.
The report highlighted that in August, there were 35 enforced disappearances, three extrajudicial killings, and 13 incidents of extrajudicial torture. The report emphasises the severe human rights issues in the region, focusing on these abuses and the impact of road accidents.
The report also claimed that Pakistani authorities imposed communication blackouts, shutting down internet and mobile networks in key areas such as Gwadar, exacerbating the isolation and vulnerability of the local population.
Despite growing protests, the military's response has been increasingly brutal. In Gwadar, violent crackdowns on unarmed protesters resulted in three deaths and hundreds of injuries. The Pakistani authorities also imposed communication blackouts, shutting down internet and mobile networks in key areas such as Gwadar, further isolating and endangering the local population, according to PAANK's report.
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