A wave of enforced disappearances has gripped Balochistan, Pakistan, with reports confirming at least seven abductions by security personnel in the last week. These events, tied to anti-insurgency drives, have intensified scrutiny on state practices in the troubled region.
Mehran Baloch, a promising nursing student from Bal-Nigor, was seized outside Turbat hospital on January 15. His relatives report total radio silence on his fate or location.
Kharan operations, ramped up after violence, saw Owais Ahmad Kambohani detained vehicle-bound in Baloch Abad. Three more – Muneeb Siapad, Makhfar Abid Siapad, Ahmad Siapad – were allegedly made to vanish in area sweeps.
Quetta’s Killi Kambohani neighborhood reported Abdul Qahar and Musawwir Kambohani’s nighttime arrests, after which they’ve been off the grid.
In brighter news, five prior missing persons reunited with families. Nonetheless, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) trashed the provincial claim of resolving the issue outright.
The post-cabinet boast was ‘factually distorted,’ per HRCB, with families still adrift. 2025’s toll: 1,455 disappearances (1,443 men, 12 women); 1,052 untraced, 317 returned, 83 custody deaths, 3 imprisoned.
HRCB decries the systemic warrantless grabs sans court, breaching Pakistan’s laws and global pacts. ‘A heinous crime, not slogan fodder – dismissing evidence wounds victims deeply.’
Baloch communities endure this terror, petitioning futilely. Rights advocates press for probes, reparations, and policy shifts, cautioning that unheeded grievances fuel alienation in Balochistan’s complex conflict.