Quetta:Another four civilians, including a minor girl, were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, leading human rights organisations alleged on Monday.
Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, strongly condemned the enforced disappearances of three Baloch civilians across the province, stating that these incidents reflect an ongoing human rights crisis that requires immediate attention from the international community.
The victims were identified as 27-year-old Dilshad Baloch, 80-year-old farmer Azam Baloch and a student Zahid Baloch. The rights body noted that the civilians were abducted by Pakistani forces from across the province between July 5 and 17.
Expressing grave concern over the continuing pattern of "arbitrary deprivation of liberty", Paank called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of the three missing persons.
"They must be afforded all legal safeguards, including prompt access to their families, lawyers, and necessary medical care, and either be charged with a recognisable criminal offence and brought before an independent court, or released immediately and unconditionally if they are being held solely in violation of their fundamental rights," the rights body added.
Meanwhile, another human rights body, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ ), on Monday sharply criticised the enforced disappearance of a 16-year-old first-year female student, Rizwana Baloch, by personnel of Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department on June 28 from the provincial capital Quetta.
Describing the incident as one of the most disturbing manifestations of state repression, the BVJ alleged that the darkest chapter of Bangladesh's history is being repeated in Balochistan.
Additionally, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) said that the enforced disappearance of Rizwana adds to the growing number of Baloch women who were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces, including Khadija Baloch, Mahjabeen Baloch, Nasreena Baloch and Habiba Baloch.
"The increasing abduction of Baloch women and girls demonstrates that enforced disappearance has become a deliberate instrument of fear, intimidation and collective punishment against the Baloch nation. The targeting of women and even minors represents a dangerous escalation, violating the most fundamental principles of human dignity and justice," the BWF stated.
"The continued abduction of Baloch women is a colonial tactic aimed at terrorising communities, silencing political voices and weakening the social fabric of an oppressed nation. When women become targets, the objective extends beyond the individual; it is intended to spread fear across entire families and communities," it noted.
The BWF called on the international community and global human rights mechanisms to take urgent action, ensure independent investigations and hold those responsible accountable, stressing that normalisation of the enforced disappearance of Baloch women must end before more lives are destroyed by impunity.
--IANS
