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Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, has pointed out a pattern of targeting and alarming allegations of the continuous disappearance of Baloch students in Balochistan and across Pakistan.
Mahjabeen Baloch, a student at the University of Balochistan, has been missing since May 29, 2025. Earlier on May 24, her brother Younas Baloch was forcibly disappeared by security authorities, according to a post on X. Authorities' crackdown on students has intensified following rallies in Quetta that led to the arrest of Baloch activists, notably Mahrang Baloch. Javid Musafir Baloch, a law student at Karachi University, has been missing since a raid by police and Counter-Terrorism Department officers at his Karachi apartment on April 23, while another student, Guhram Ishaq, was picked up outside Civil Hospital Quetta on April 24. Their whereabouts are unknown, according to the X report. Amnesty International urged Pakistani authorities to conduct swift, complete, and effective investigations into the enforced disappearances, reveal the location of the Baloch students, and release them immediately. Those proven accountable for these disappearances should face fair trials. The practice of enforced disappearances violates Pakistan's international human rights commitments, the post reported. Earlier, VBMP leaders decried the recent disappearance of Mahjabeen Baloch, a University of Balochistan Library Science student from Basima in the Washuk area. According to VBMP, Mahjabeen was apprehended during a joint operation including police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) troops, and other security forces. Her brother, Younus Baloch, an engineering student, was previously seized by the same forces and remains missing. The Baloch people have faced systematic oppression and torture through the misuse of several laws, particularly in regions like Pakistan's Balochistan. Laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and special security ordinances have been used to justify arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention without trial, and denial of basic legal rights. Under these laws, security forces often operate with broad powers and legal immunity, leading to widespread reports of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture, including physical and psychological abuse. Military courts and special tribunals frequently try Baloch activists without fair trial standards, denying them justice. Additionally, media censorship laws suppress Baloch voices and conceal these abuses from the public, perpetuating a cycle of violence and impunity against the Baloch people. (ANI)
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