Baloch Women Forum appeals to UN, global rights bodies over alleged enforced disappearances of Baloch women

Balochistan [Pakistan], April 28 : Baloch Women Forum (BWF) has issued an open letter to major international human rights organisations and United Nations bodies, urging immediate intervention over what it described as worsening human rights violations in Balochistan, particularly the alleged enforced disappearances of Baloch women, including Khadija Baloch, Haseena Noor Bakhsh, and Gul Banuk Taj.

According to the letter, addressed to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Front Line Defenders, BWF appealed for urgent global attention to what it called a growing human rights emergency in Balochistan.

In the letter, BWF stated that Baloch women are allegedly being systematically targeted through enforced disappearances, describing it as part of a broader pattern of repression in the region. The forum said these cases reflect what it termed "Pakistani state atrocities" and claimed Baloch women have long suffered under conflict and suppression.

BWF specifically highlighted the case of Khadija Baloch, a nursing student at Bolan Medical College, Quetta. According to the letter, Khadija was allegedly taken by state-affiliated operatives from her room at the Bolan Medical College hostel.

The forum also cited the case of Haseena Noor Bakhsh, described as a housewife from Naval, Karachi. As mentioned in the letter, Haseena was allegedly forcibly disappeared from her home despite having no known political affiliation, and was reportedly taken in front of her children.

Additionally, BWF referred to the case of Gul Banuk Taj, a housewife from Singabad Tejaban, Kech. According to the letter, Gul Banuk Taj was allegedly abducted from her home, and despite repeated appeals by her husband to local authorities, her case remains unresolved.

BWF stated in its letter that the families of the disappeared women have reportedly received no information regarding their whereabouts, while no formal charges have been presented against them.

The organisation argued that these incidents are not isolated but rather part of what it described as a state-sanctioned strategy aimed at silencing Baloch women, including students, mothers, and homemakers, through fear and repression.

According to BWF, the women targeted are not accused through legal criminal proceedings but are allegedly detained due to their identity and social roles within the Baloch community. The forum further stated that such actions violate international human rights obligations that Pakistan has ratified or is expected to uphold.

Through the letter, BWF called on international bodies to urgently investigate the reported cases, ensure accountability, and take immediate steps to address what it described as enforced disappearances and systemic discrimination against Baloch women.

The forum emphasised that global intervention is necessary to safeguard fundamental human rights and deliver justice to affected families.

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