Balochistan sees new missing persons claims as VBMP protest continues

According to The Balochistan Post, 15-year-old Muiz Jan, son of Sabzal and a resident of Awaran, was allegedly taken into custody on the night of July 14 from the Zehri Goth Daro Hotel area in Hub.

His family claimed that personnel believed to be from Pakistan's Military Intelligence (MI) were involved in the detention. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown.

In another reported case, The Balochistan Post said that Saddam Hussain, 21, son of Nabi Bakhsh, was allegedly detained in the early hours of July 17 from the Mirabad area of Hub. A resident of Awaran who worked as a shopkeeper, Hussain was reportedly taken away during an operation that his family alleged involved personnel from the Frontier Corps (FC), the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and Military Intelligence (MI). His family says he has not been seen since.

Separately, The Balochistan Post reported that the protest camp organised by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) outside the Quetta Press Club completed 6,300 days on Monday, marking more than 17 years of continuous demonstrations demanding the recovery of allegedly forcibly disappeared persons and justice for their families.

Addressing the gathering, VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch described enforced disappearances as a grave violation of Pakistan's Constitution, national laws, and international human rights standards, The Balochistan Post reported. He called on the Pakistani government, judiciary, parliament, and other relevant institutions to take urgent steps to trace all missing persons and address the concerns of their families.

According to The Balochistan Post, VBMP reaffirmed that it would continue its peaceful and constitutional campaign until all allegedly forcibly disappeared persons are recovered and justice is provided to the affected families. (ANI)