Quetta, Jan 17 (IANS) As violence targeting civilians continues unabated across Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation raised alarm over the enforced disappearance of another Baloch youth, allegedly at the hands of Pakistani forces.
Citing local sources, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, mentioned that18-year-old Mehran Baloch, a nursing student from Kaleero region in Kech district of the province, was forcibly abducted on January 15.
At the time of the incident, the rights body said, Mehran was undergoing nursing training at the Kech hospital when armed personnel associated with Pakistan’s intelligence agencies detained him and took him away to an unknown location. Since Mehran’s disappearance, his family has been living in anguish, with no information regarding his whereabouts or well-being.
“This incident reflects the ongoing pattern of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, where students and civilians continue to be targeted with impunity,” Paank stated.
Highlighting the atrocities against civilians, including women in Balochistan, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) on Friday noted that the acquittal of two Baloch women, Mahal Baloch and Pari Gul, by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Quetta on January 15, after more than three years of “baseless” prosecution exposes the collapse of “fabricated terrorism” allegations by Pakistani authorities.
According to the HRCB, Mahal Baloch was subjected to enforced disappearance, custodial torture, and coercion into a staged media confession following Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department( CTD) raid on her home in the provincial capital Quetta’s Satellite Town in February 2023.
“Senior CTD officials and uncritical media reporting amplified false claims, resulting in a media trial that violated due process and caused severe psychological harm to her and her young children,” the rights body stated.
“This case reflects a wider pattern of counterterrorism laws being misused to target Baloch women through fabricated charges and public vilification, while those responsible enjoy impunity. Several Baloch women and girls remain forcibly disappeared,” it added.
The HRCB also demanded an independent judicial inquiry, accountability for all officials involved, compensation and rehabilitation for Pari Gul, Mahal Baloch, and her children, and immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of all forcibly disappeared Baloch women.
–IANS
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