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Ten people, including a 15-year-old student, have allegedly been forcibly disappeared in separate incidents across Balochistan, while four previously missing men have reportedly been recovered in the province's Kech district, according to a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP).
Citing local sources, TBP reported that four of the alleged disappearance cases were recorded in Quetta, the provincial capital. Sources accused personnel of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of involvement in the disappearances. Meanwhile, four men who had allegedly been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces in Kech district were recovered in Turbat between October 25 and 28, the report said. The report also highlighted the ongoing protest by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) outside the Quetta Press Club, which had entered its 6,408th day. According to TBP, Comrade Manzoor Baloch and Inqilab Communist Party leader Karim Parhad were among those who visited the protest camp. Participants demanded the recovery of missing persons and condemned their alleged extrajudicial killings. VBMP chairman Nasrullah Baloch said enforced disappearances and alleged extrajudicial killings violated the Constitution, the law and fundamental human rights, leaving affected families in prolonged distress. He urged the government to ensure the safe return of missing persons, stressing that anyone accused of an offence should be produced before a court and given an opportunity to defend themselves. Nasrullah also called for transparent investigations into the reported disappearances to identify those responsible and ensure accountability. He maintained that the issue should be resolved through constitutional, legal and democratic means rather than through the use of force. TBP further noted that enforced disappearances remain a longstanding concern in Balochistan, with families and human rights organisations repeatedly staging protests against alleged detentions at undisclosed locations and demanding that those held be produced before courts. Citing the Human Rights Council of Balochistan's (HRCB) September report, TBP said the organisation documented 54 enforced disappearances, including five cases from previous months. Among those reported missing were nine teenagers, two women and a young girl. The HRCB also recorded 11 reappearances and four deaths in custody during the reporting period, while most of those reported missing remained unaccounted for, the report added. (ANI)
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