Pak: Fahad Lehri's death raises alarms over Pakistan's enforced disappearances in Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], May 15 (ANI): A new wave of grief and outrage has swept across Balochistan following the discovery of Fahad Lehri's body on May 14, 2025 - ten days after his forcible disappearance from Mastung.
The young student's bullet-riddled body, dumped in the same region where he was abducted, is the latest evidence of Pakistan's ongoing and systematic "kill-and-dump" policy in Balochistan.
According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Fahad's killing is not an isolated act but part of a broader campaign to silence Baloch voices. "He was not presented in court. No arrest warrant. No legal process. No trial. His only crime was being Baloch," stated a spokesperson from BYC.
Enforced disappearances have become a grim reality in Balochistan, where students, artists, political activists, and laborers live under constant threat. Fahad now joins hundreds of others who were abducted, tortured, and executed in secret - erased without justice, leaving their families in agony and fear.
"This is not law enforcement; it is cold-blooded murder. We reject this system of oppression where lives are discarded and voices silenced," BYC declared.
Despite growing international concern, the Pakistani state continues to act with impunity, aided by a media blackout and global silence. These extrajudicial killings, carried out under the guise of national security, amount to war crimes hidden behind closed borders.
But the Baloch people refuse to be silenced. As Fahad's family mourns, communities across the region are rallying in resistance. "We will remember Fahad. We will say his name. Bullets may bury bodies, but they cannot bury truth," a BYC statement concluded.
In Pakistan, enforced disappearances and abductions remain widespread violations of human rights, particularly affecting areas such as Balochistan. Activists, students, and political dissidents are frequently seized by security agencies without formal charges, legal proceedings, or judicial oversight.
These detentions are carried out covertly, leaving families in anguish with no information about their loved ones' fate or location. Victims often endure unlawful confinement, torture, and in some cases, extrajudicial executions - all justified under the pretext of national security or anti-terrorism efforts.
Despite international criticism, such violations persist with little sign of accountability. (ANI)