Pakistan: Baloch Students Council protest alleged enforced disappearance of student

Sargodha [Pakistan], March 16 (ANI): Baloch Students Council held a protest at the University of Sargodha against the alleged enforced disappearance of Khudadad Siraj. The protesting students demanded the release of their fellow student, The Balochistan Post reported.
A week ago, Pakistani intelligence agencies were accused of the enforced disapearance of Sargodha Medical College student Khudadad Siraj. The protesters said they held a peaceful protest inside the university premises. However, security force personnel forcibly confiscated their banners and posters, The Balochistan Post reported.
Protesters condemned the harassment, profiling, and enforced disappearances of Baloch students in Punjab universities and called for the release of their fellow students. Meanwhile, the family of 'missing' student held protest on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highway in Kech's Kirki. They demanded the recovery of the abducted student, according to The Balochistan Post reported.
On March 9, prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch expressed concern over the alleged enforced disappearance of a Baloch student and urged human rights organisations to intervene. The "enforced disappearance" of Baloch student Khuda Dad Siraj is not the first such incident. The enforced disappearance of Baloch people is a major issue in Pakistan.
In a post on X, Baloch stated, "The enforced disappearance of Baloch student Khuda Dad Siraj, son of Siraj Ahmed from Sargodha, Punjab, is alarming. The escalating incidents of such disappearances among Baloch students in educational institutions in Punjab and Islamabad are deeply troubling. I urge human rights organizations to address Khuda Dad's disappearance by Pakistan's secret agencies in Sargodha."
Earlier this week, Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) delegation, during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), submitted a memorandum highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation in Balochistan and urging the international organisation to intervene.
The delegation, headed by its general secretary, Qambar Malik, submitted the memorandum to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The memorandum emphasised the immediate need for UN intervention to investigate the atrocities committed by Pakistan in Balochistan.
According to the BHRC, "Data collected by various human rights organizations indicates that from January to December 2023, 506 individuals, including students, teachers, and writers, have gone missing in Balochistan. They have fallen victim to enforced disappearances orchestrated by personnel allied with the notorious intelligence agency, the ISI." It further stated that the Pakistani military has escalated its activities across Balochistan.
The memorandum emphasized that the abduction, torture, and dumping of mutilated bodies of political activists by these armed groups in Balochistan have become a daily occurrence.The memorandum urged the UN's intervention in Balochistan to ensure Baloch lives with dignity and without fear. (ANI)