Families protest in Karachi, Quetta over enforced disappearances as missing youth returns home after 10 months

Karachi [Pakistan], August 21 (ANI): Families of missing Baloch individuals in Karachi and Quetta continued their demonstrations on Tuesday, seeking the return of their loved ones, as another young man from Kech district was reported to have come back home after spending ten months in detention, as per a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP).
At the Karachi Press Club, family members of Zahid Ali Baloch mentioned they had been holding a sit-in for 15 days straight, even in the face of heavy rain. Zahid's father, Hameed Baloch, told the media that his son was taken by security forces on July 17 while he was waiting for transport in Karachi, and has been missing for over a month.
"It has been 33 days now, but we still do not know where our son is or in what condition he might be," he stated. He made a plea for Zahid to be presented in court if there are charges against him, describing his disappearance as "an unbearable trauma for a family," according to the TBP report.
In Quetta, the protest camp of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) marked its 5,915th day outside the Press Club on Tuesday. VBMP chairman Nasrullah Baloch mentioned that they had received a report concerning the disappearance of Mir Yousaf Qalandrani, the son of a tribal chief and local council head, who was allegedly arrested in Karachi on August 17, as reported by TBP.
He noted that three of Yousaf's brothers were among the many members of the Qalandrani family who were detained during a military operation in 2010 and remain missing to this day. "The unlawful detention and disappearance of Mir Yousaf and others not only represents a serious violation of human rights but also a clear insult to the Constitution of Pakistan and international human rights standards," he said, as quoted by the TBP report.
Nasrullah Baloch called on the judiciary, parliament, and human rights organisations to take notice, warning that enforced disappearances were undermining public trust in state institutions.
"This issue is not solely one concerning the Baloch nation, but rather pertains to all of humanity and the integrity of human rights institutions," he articulated. Meanwhile, in Turbat, Kech district, a young man named Suhail Ahmed, son of Abdullah Lashkaran, returned home on Monday after being missing for ten months. His family stated that he was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani troops in October 2024, according to the TBP report. (ANI)