|
The Baloch Advocacy and Studies Center (BASC) has expressed deep concern over the enforced disappearance of Nasreen, a minor girl who was abducted during a violent raid on her home in Hub, Balochistan on Saturday.
According to BASC, police personnel accompanied by plain-clothed operatives from state intelligence agencies carried out the 'abduction' on Saturday, after which the family was denied all information about her whereabouts or the reasons for her detention. The organisation noted that this incident comes months after the disappearance of 23-year-old Mahjabeen from Quetta, whose fate also remains unknown. BASC stated that both cases reflect the continuing pattern of enforced disappearances that have plagued Balochistan for years, now increasingly involving women and girls. In its statement, BASC said the abduction of Nasreen "once again lays bare the systematic and ongoing violations of human rights in Balochistan." It condemned the growing use of arbitrary detention, the erosion of the rule of law and the entrenched atmosphere of impunity that allows such abuses to continue unchecked. The organisation emphasised that Pakistan's security and intelligence agencies operate without oversight, while the judicial system has consistently failed to prevent or prosecute enforced disappearances. BASC highlighted that Pakistan has not criminalised enforced disappearance, has not ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and routinely violates its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Calling the situation "one of South Asia's most pressing human rights emergencies," Qambar Malik Baloch, General Secretary of BASC, said the pattern of abductions represents a deliberate and systematic policy aimed at suppressing the political aspirations of the Baloch people and undermining their right to self-determination. BASC urged the international community and the United Nations to take concrete steps, including sustained diplomatic pressure on Pakistan and targeted sanctions against military and intelligence officials involved in human rights violations. It further called for the establishment of an independent international fact-finding mission with full access to affected regions. The organisation stressed that such measures are essential not only to secure the safe release of Nasreen and Mahjabeen but also to prevent future abuses and address the longstanding human rights crisis in Balochistan. (ANI)
|
