Residents protest against Pakistan forces amid enforced disappearances

Balochistan [Pakistan], November 8 (ANI): Ongoing enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by Pakistan's armed forces continue to torment Balochistan, with fresh reports surfacing of civilians being forcibly taken from their homes, workplaces, and communities.
These incidents, which include alleged physical assaults and kidnappings, have sparked renewed fears among Baloch families who now live under a constant state of distress, concerned for the safety of their loved ones.
According to The Balochistan Post, Khan Mohammad Bugti, a shop owner in Dera Bugti's Phelawgh area, was reportedly abducted from his place of business several days ago by Pakistani security forces. Since his forced abduction, his family has received no word of his whereabouts.
In a similar incident in the Buleda Pusht Kaor area of Kech district, a man named Irshad was allegedly assaulted during a late-night raid before being taken by security forces, leaving his family distressed and without answers.
In the coastal city of Gwadar, security forces reportedly apprehended Naoman, son of Ishaq, and have since held him in an undisclosed location. These cases are just the latest in a long string of enforced disappearances throughout the region, deepening the fears of Baloch communities who see this as part of an ongoing pattern of oppression.

The Sit-In protest by the families of forcibly disappeared Sher Jan Darvesh and Irshad continuous for second Day, at Fida Chowk Turbat. As the families pleas for Justice and Safe Recovery of their beloved ones were not acknowledge by the District Administration, they have decided… pic.twitter.com/UVHeAn6g4X

— Baloch Yakjehti Committee (@BalochYakjehtiC) November 8, 2024

Meanwhile, in Turbat, families of two other missing men, Sher Jan Darvesh and Irshad, have taken to the streets in a peaceful sit-in protest at Fida Chowk. This marks the second day of their demonstration, with the families calling for justice and the safe return of their loved ones.
The Baloch Yakjheti Committee (BYC), a local activist group, posted on X (formerly Twitter) condemning the district administration for failing to recognise the protestors' pleas.
BYC reported that rather than addressing the concerns, authorities, in collaboration with the Frontier Corps, blocked the road to the DC office and issued threats to the protestors. The BYC emphasised that the families are simply "exercising their mere right to public assembly and are demanding their right to life and security."

Sibghat Abdul Haq Baloch, a central organising member of the BYC, criticised the heavy-handed response from authorities and warned of potential consequences if there were any further intimidation or violence directed at the protestors.
He also called on residents of Kech and nearby regions to join the protest, pledging to continue their fight for justice despite threats and attempts at suppression.
Reports indicate that in the past month alone, approximately 100 people from various areas of Balochistan have gone missing due to alleged forced disappearances by security forces, with 18 new cases emerging over the last few weeks.
While ten individuals have been released, others remain missing, leaving their families desperate for information. Local political groups are raising alarm over the increasing frequency of these incidents and are urging international human rights organisations to intervene and pressure Pakistani authorities to address the enforced disappearances and release those still in detention. (ANI)