Generations lost: Qalandrani family highlights Balochistan's enforced disappearance crisis

Balochistan [Pakistan], September 11 (ANI): Sammi Deen Baloch, a prominent human rights activist, condemned the detention of Mir Yousaf Qalandrani, a resident of the Tootak area in Khuzdar.
According to Sammi Deen Baloch, this incident is part of a long chain of disappearances targeting the Qalandrani family.
In 2011, fifteen relatives, including Mir Yousaf's brothers Mir Atiq ur Rahman, Mir Khalil ur Rahman, and Mir Waseem ur Rahman, were taken from the Toti area of Balochistan and remain missing to this day.
Taking to the social media platform X, Sammi Deen Baloch stated that for over two decades, Balochistan has been mired in a relentless crisis of enforced disappearances.
Human rights activists and local advocacy groups have documented a disturbing pattern in which Baloch political activists, students, educators, journalists, and ordinary residents are picked up by state agencies and kept in secret detention.
Victims are rarely brought before a court, and their families are left in prolonged uncertainty, often unaware of whether their loved ones are alive.
The humanitarian toll of these disappearances is immense.
Thousands of families across the province live in anguish, clinging to hope while demanding justice.
Protest camps led by grieving mothers have become a fixture in both Quetta and Islamabad, while sisters and daughters tirelessly seek answers through legal channels. Children have grown up in the shadow of these disappearances, waiting for parents who never return, she stated.
The issue has also become a symbol of resistance in Balochistan, with rallies and protest tents standing as stark reminders of a community's pain and determination. Despite decades of demonstrations and appeals to authorities, justice remains elusive, and the cycle of abductions continues unchecked, she highlighted.
The case of the Qalandrani family highlights the generational impact of enforced disappearances, where one family has lost multiple members over the years without any accountability. Their story echoes the experiences of thousands of other families in Balochistan, illustrating the deep wounds inflicted by a policy of fear and repression.
As these families continue to demand transparency, their struggle highlights a growing call for justice and an end to the long-standing tragedy of enforced disappearances in the province. (ANI)