Violence against civilians in Balochistan persists, with a Baloch youth, Mehran Baloch, a nursing student from Kaleero region in Kech district, reportedly abducted by Pakistani forces on January 15. Mehran was taken while undergoing nursing training at Kech hospital, and his family remains unaware of his whereabouts or condition since the incident. The Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department highlighted the concerning trend of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, particularly affecting students and civilians.
The Human Rights Council of Balochistan condemned the treatment of civilians, including women, in the region, citing the recent acquittal of Mahal Baloch and Pari Gul by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta. Mahal Baloch faced enforced disappearance, custodial torture, and coerced media confession after a Counter Terrorism Department raid in Quetta in February 2023. The HRCB criticized the misuse of counterterrorism laws to target Baloch women with false charges and public defamation, while the perpetrators evade accountability. Numerous Baloch women and girls are still missing.
Demanding an independent judicial inquiry, the HRCB called for accountability of involved officials, compensation, and rehabilitation for Pari Gul, Mahal Baloch, and her children, and immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of all forcibly disappeared Baloch women. The organization stressed the need to address the systemic abuse of counterterrorism laws against Baloch women and the urgent requirement for justice and transparency in such cases.
