Pakistan: Paank reports rise in enforced disappearances in Balochistan, seeks UN intervention

Balochistan [Pakistan], July 3 (ANI): The Human Rights Department of the Baloch National Movement, known as Paank, has reported a rise in enforced disappearances throughout Balochistan from July 1 to 2, with at least nine young Baloch men taken in a series of organised operations by Pakistani forces.

According to Paank, on the night of July 1, Talal Baloch was forcibly taken from his home in Ward No. 2, Pasni, situated in Gwadar district. Paank reported that armed personnel in military vehicles raided the residence and abducted Talal without any warrant or explanation.

In another incident in the early hours of July 2, Safyan was taken from the Singani Sar region of Turbat. Paank confirmed that uniformed forces were responsible for the operation, noting that the family has been left without any legal options or information regarding his whereabouts.

Additionally, on July 1, four Baloch youths were arrested and subsequently disappeared from the Khuda Bakhsh Chaat area in tehsil Mand, Kech district. The individuals have been identified as Jasim, Malik and Faisal and Raziq, both sons of Bijar Baloch. Paank denounced the incident, describing it as part of a larger campaign aimed at ethnic repression and youth oppression in Balochistan.

In a related case occurring outside Balochistan, Paank also reported that on July 1, three Baloch youths, Juma Khan Mithwani Buzdar, Muhammad Khan Chakarani Buzdar, and Iftikar Chakarani Buzdar, were forcibly taken during a raid on a hotel in Punjab's Taunsa. All three were reportedly there for work-related purposes.

"Paank vehemently condemns this ongoing surge of enforced disappearances, which constitutes a clear violation of international human rights laws," the human rights organisation expressed in an official statement. "These actions are unmistakable signs of a systematic state policy aimed at targeting Baloch youth and silencing opposition."

https://x.com/paank_bnm/status/1940525439132512534

Paank has urged the United Nations and the wider international community to intervene swiftly, advocate for the safe return of the disappeared, and hold Pakistan responsible for what it describes as crimes against humanity. "End enforced disappearances. Hold Pakistan accountable," Paank reiterated. (ANI)

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