Pakistan: Rights body alarmed over wave of forcible disappearances in Balochistan and Sindh

Quetta, July 21 A Baloch human rights organisation on Monday strongly condemned the abduction of four civilians by Pakistani security forces amid the ongoing wave of enforced disappearances across the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that the victims include Muhammad Hussain, a farmer from Naseerabad district in Balochistan, who was taken from his home on July 5, and Zahid Ali, a rickshaw driver from Karachi’s Lyari area who was abducted on July 17.

Additionally, Mesho, from Dera Bugti in Balochistan, was forcibly disappeared in broad daylight on July 19, while Paneeri Bugti, a farmer from Pat Feeder in Naseerabad district, was abducted on June 27 after being summoned to Sui Military Camp in Balochistan.

"These acts are clear violations of human rights and international law. Paank denounces this systematic campaign of abductions and demands the immediate release of all disappeared persons," said the rights body.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) presented its Annual Report for 2024 on Sunday, documenting an alarming rise in human rights violations across Balochistan. The report revealed that over the course of the year, at least 830 individuals were forcibly disappeared, while 480 were extrajudicially killed. It further highlighted "a brutal and systematic crackdown on peaceful protestors, particularly those demanding justice for missing persons".

"These figures include only reported and verified cases; the actual scale is likely higher due to media censorship, restricted access, and fear among victims’ families," the HRCB stated.

The human rights body asserted that compared to 2023, when HRCB recorded 601 enforced disappearances and 525 killings, 2024 marked a sharp 38 per cent rise in enforced disappearances.

However, the crisis has escalated further in 2025. In just the first six months, HRCB documented 814 enforced disappearances — nearly equal to the entire total of 2024 — and 365 killings, already accounting for over 75 per cent of the previous year's total.

Raising concern, the HRCB stated that Pakistan's security forces and intelligence agencies operated with increasing impunity, and the alarming trend reflected "the deepening human rights emergency in Balochistan, with state violence accelerating year after year".

"Victims included students, political activists, women, and children — many abducted from their homes or public spaces without any legal process. In numerous instances, bodies were later found bearing signs of torture. Peaceful protests, particularly those calling for the recovery of missing persons, were met with live fire, arbitrary arrests, and criminal charges, further shrinking the civic space in Balochistan," read the HRCB report.

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