Two Baloch students forcibly disappeared in Turbat; UN experts decry ongoing abductions as international crime

Kech [Balochistan] May 1 (ANI): Two young Baloch students have allegedly been forcibly taken by Pakistani security forces in Turbat, the primary city of the Kech district in Balochistan, as reported by The Balochistan Post (TBP).

Seventeen-year-old Shey Haq Baloch, the son of the deceased Altaf Baloch, and sixteen-year-old Adam Baloch, son of Saleem, were purportedly apprehended by security personnel on Tuesday shortly after arriving in Turbat from Karachi, according to TBP.

Nugra Baloch, Shey Haq's sister, verified the occurrence in a Facebook post. She stated that both boys were first-year college students and were detained by Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies, as highlighted by the TBP report.

"I call upon everyone to speak out against this unlawful and cruel act," she wrote. "Assist us in our struggle for the safe return of my brother and Adam Baloch." Shey Haq Baloch's father, Altaf Baloch, was killed in 2008 when Pakistani forces reportedly opened fire on a peaceful rally held by the Baloch National Front (BNF) in Turbat, according to the TBP report.

In another instance on April 30, two young men, Amir, son of Dad Bakhsh, and Usman, son of Abdul Ghani, were reportedly kidnapped from a barber shop in Pasni, in Gwadar district. Both are locals of the town. A further case has been reported from Turbat's D-Baloch area, where Abdul Majeed, son of Abdul Ghani, was allegedly taken by unidentified armed individuals while he was waiting for transport with his children, as highlighted by the TBP report.

Enforced disappearances in Balochistan continue to pose a serious and persistent issue. Human rights organisations have long accused Pakistani security agencies of systematically targeting students, activists, and ordinary civilians, according to the TBP report.

Earlier on Tuesday, United Nations human rights experts described the "relentless use of enforced disappearances" in Balochistan as "a severe human rights violation and an international crime" and urged Pakistan to establish "independent and effective mechanisms for searching and investigating," as per the TBP report. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)