Quetta, Jan 29 As violence against civilians continues to escalate in Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation on Thursday brought to light the enforced disappearance of two more Baloch civilians at the hands of Pakistani forces.
Condemning the incidents, Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that Ismail Malik, a teacher by profession, was forcibly taken by the Pakistan Army on Wednesday from Kharan district in the province along with his vehicle while he was travelling.
He was transferred to an undisclosed location, while his whereabouts remain unknown.
The rights body revealed that another civilian, 28-year-old Jasim Jan, a labourer from Panjgur district in the province, was abducted on January 21 from the Washbood area in Panjgur district of Balochistan, by members of a Pakistan-backed death squad.
Since his abduction, it said, his whereabouts remain unknown, and his family is living in "deep fear and distress".
These latest incidents come against the backdrop of a growing wave of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings across the province.
Meanwhile, addressing a seminar marking Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day, Sabiha Baloch, Central Leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), highlighted the various forms of genocide occurring in Balochistan, directly challenging Pakistan's narrative regarding the BYC.
Speaking about forcibly disappeared Baloch women by Pakistani forces, including Farzana, Nasreena, Hani, Khair-un-Nisa, and a pregnant woman reportedly dragged to a torture cell, she said, "This is the collective punishment we face. This is the 'definition' of the BYC: we are the ones asking for life, 'Is demanding the right to life a crime?'"
Sabiha also spoke about the legal harassment, citing the illegal detention of BYC leaders and the use of "fake FIRs" to block bail.
Highlighting atrocities by Pakistani authorities, she said, "Your fake conferences, your system, your ministers, and your commissioners have exhausted all their efforts to prove the BYC is a terrorist organisation. We have made it clear: The BYC simply wants life. You claim to bring security and development, but in your name, people are being killed, dying of hunger, and having their land and sea snatched. You have activated death squads that target teachers to ensure the Baloch remain uneducated."
She alleged that Pakistani forces, under the guise of 'Intelligence-Based Operations', raid and loot homes, harass women and children, and forcibly disappear men across Balochistan.
"You carry out drone attacks on civilians and celebrate them. We call this genocide, and it is happening on our land every single day," Sabiha stated.
She claimed the brutality of Pakistani authorities has reached unprecedented levels, which the people of Balochistan will never forget.
"You use fake narratives to erase our history and try to silence us through intimidation and legal manipulation. You were wrong then, and you are wrong now. We have already envisioned the day we will be free from your oppression, and then sit and cry. Now, we have stopped crying; we have now owned this struggle," Sabiha added.
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