Son of forcibly disappeared Baloch man too abducted by Pakistani forces: Report

As per the news report, Khadim Hussain, a resident of Jhalari, was detained by the Pakistani law enforcement forces on February 6 while he was heading to Sibbi from Tipul.

However, Hussain is not the first one to be missing under doubtful circumstances as his father Mazar Khan Marri, has been missing since May 28, 2010, The Balochistan Post reported.

Marri was allegedly abducted by the security forces along with four other people during a military operation in Jhalari. The family of Marri has made repeated attempts at finding out his whereabouts. However, his whereabouts continue to remain unknown.

Khadim Hussain is among at least ten people who have been 'forcibly disappeared' reportedly by Pakistani forces in Balochistan since the beginning of February, according to The Balochistan Post report.

The people who have been 'forcibly disappeared' in Balochistan include TikToker from Mastung and a sports gold medalist from Nushki. According to the report, they have not been released yet.

Meanwhile, Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch on Sunday alleged that families of missing persons who participated in the march are being forcibly disappeared by the state and termed it a "cruel act of targeting families of victims to sabotage their struggle."

She mentioned that the whereabouts of Gulkhan Shikari, his son Miran Shikari, and Zahid son of Aktar Muhammad, remain unknown since their abduction on February 7, 2024. She urged human rights organisations to speak out against state barbarism.

In a post on X, Mahrang Baloch stated, "The families of Baloch missing persons who participated in the march are being forcibly disappeared by the state, a cruel act of targeting victim families to sabotage their struggle."

"The whereabouts of Gulkhan Shikari, his son Miran Shikari, and Zahid son of Aktar Muhammad remain unknown since their abduction on February 7, 2024. They joined march for the release of Nawab Imran and Najeeb Baloch. Their lives are in grave danger. We urge human rights organisations to speak out against state barbarism," she added.

Earlier in December, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) had organised a massive long march to raise their voice against the issue of enforced disappearances. This long march had witnessed massive participation from every corner of Balochistan. The march had started in Turbat, reached Quetta, and eventually ended in Islamabad.

On January 23, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) announced ending their sit-in outside the National Press Club (NPC) in Islamabad against enforced disappearances, Pakistan-based The News International reported. At that time, Mahrang Baloch said they will head back to Balochistan with pain, suffering and anti-Baloch attitudes of Islamabad.

The people of Balochistan have been raising their voices regarding the enforced disappearance of their loved ones. On February 5, the Baloch Yakjahti Committee (BYC), in a letter, urged the human rights organisations and the Baloch nation to not remain silent and adopt the path of political struggle on the matter of forced disappearances in Balochistan.

In a statement posted on X, the BYC emphasised that the genocide of the Baloch people is being intensified day by day and urged the people to break their silence.They further stated that the state has shown that they would not change their policies as they have been continuing the killing of missing persons in fake encounters.

"We want to make it clear to the world once again that the genocide of the Baloch people is going on in Balochistan and it is being intensified day by day. The state has given a clear message by killing the missing persons again in fake encounters. That he will not change his policies in Balochistan. We appeal to human rights organizations, including the United Nations to take notice of these incidents in Balochistan, while we appeal to the Baloch nation to adopt the path of political struggle instead of silence on the forced disappearances of their people," the Baloch Yakjahti Committee wrote in the letter posted on X. (ANI)