Quetta, May 11 (IANS) As violence against civilians continues to escalate across Pakistan’s province of Balochistan, a young shopkeeper has been allegedly forcibly disappeared from his residence in Sariab area of Pakistan’s Quetta. According to his family, Saeed Baloch (20) was taken into custody from his home in Faizabad area on May 6 at around 5 am, local media reported on Monday.
The family said Pakistani forces personnel, including the Frontier Corps, carried out a raid at their home and took Saeed Baloch with them. They further mentioned that no information regarding Baloch’s whereabouts has been provided since then and that he had not been presented before any court, The Balochistan Post reported.
The latest case comes while families of missing persons continue to hold protests in Balochistan. A protest camp set up by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) outside the Quetta Press Club entered its 6162nd day on Monday.
“6162nd day of the VBMP Protest Camp, with Participation from the Families of Dad Muhammad and Saleh Muhammad. Dad Muhammad Mari and Saleh Muhammad Mari were allegedly forcibly disappeared from Quetta 14 years ago. According to the families, the commission has now closed the hearing of the case. Both should be immediately recovered and produced in court,” VBMP posted on X.
On May 6, a leading human rights organisation expressed serious concern over escalating abuses of Baloch civilians by Pakistani forces, citing a pattern of targetted killings and the subsequent dumping of mutilated bodies in Balochistan between January and April this year.
In its thematic report titled ‘Kill and Dump Policy in Balochistan’, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) documented 43 victims of “kill and dump” in 2026 identified by their families, along with 21 cases of targetted killings.
“These figures do not include those victims who were either unidentified, buried in silence, or bodies of victims secretly handed over to families to bury them at once. These figures do not include fake encounters, unidentified dumped bodies and victims killed in other modes,” the rights body stated.
As per the findings, 47 victims of “kill and dump” cases and 32 victims of targetted killings were recorded in the first half of 2025, including minors in both categories. The BYC described the situation as a persistent and deeply concerning feature of the ongoing situation in the region.
The rights body noted that while such incidents have been reported over the past two decades, the developments in early 2026 indicate a significant increase in both scale and intensity. It added that the recurring patterns of killings across multiple districts in Balochistan, including Awaran, Gwadar, Kech, Kharan, Panjgur and Quetta, raise grave concerns about the systematic nature of these acts.
Highlighting the absence of judicial action on arbitrary detention and kill and dump policy, the report noted that judges and state officials who have spoken against these human rights violations have faced reprisal from Pakistani authorities.
It added that Pakistan’s judiciary – from the apex court to bottom anti-terrorism Courts – has “exhausted” the people of Balochistan, compromising the principle of independence and check and balance through what it described as “biased and influenced” rulings.
The rights body urged the United Nations Human Rights Council, special rapporteurs, working groups and other international organisations to pressure the Pakistani authorities to adopt a humane approach towards the people of Balochistan amid the rising abuses.
–IANS
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