Quetta, Aug 6 (IANS) Amid escalating violence against Baloch civilians across Pakistan, a leading human rights organisation on Thursday strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of seven students by Pakistani forces.
The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) revealed that five Baloch students of the University of Karachi were forcibly disappeared during a raid on their residence in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in Karachi on Wednesday, allegedly by Pakistani intelligence agencies and Rangers.
“The students were physically assaulted and harassed before being taken away along with their belongings. Their whereabouts remain unknown,” it added.
The missing students were identified as Azhar Baloch, Ghos Baksh Baloch, Shehzad Baloch, Anees Baloch and Waseem Baloch.
According to the HRCB, the incident followed the earlier disappearances of two more Baloch students by Pakistani forces: Khalil Baloch, an MPhil student, taken from the Karachi university premises, and Zubair Baloch, forcibly disappeared from the Hub region in Balochistan.
The HRCB called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose the students’ whereabouts, ensure their safety, and release them unless produced before a competent court under lawful process.
Expressing grave concern over the incident continued targeting of Baloch students, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, said, “Enforced disappearance constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law, depriving individuals of their rights to liberty, security, due process, and education while inflicting profound suffering on their families.”
Sabiha Baloch, the central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), said that enforced disappearance of Baloch students by Pakistani forces has become a persistent pattern, reflecting what she described as “a policy of collective punishment” rather than isolated incidents.
“Young people who leave their homes to pursue education are being turned into targets. From university campuses to hostels and private residences, Baloch students continue to face the constant threat of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance,” she posted on X.
Meanwhile, highlighting the atrocities against civilians across Balochistan, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) on Thursday alleged that a drone strike by Pakistani forces targeted a civilian area in the Goru region of Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, resulting in the death of a minor child.
The latest incident comes amid intensified ground and aerial operations by Pakistani forces across several parts of Balochistan targeting civilian areas.
Slamming the Pakistani forces over the continued targeting of civilian-populated areas through drone strikes and the killing of innocent civilians, the BVJ called for an end to such attacks and urged respect for the lives and safety of civilians.
–IANS
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