Quetta, Oct 23 (IANS) At least three students were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation said on Thursday.

The latest incident comes amid an escalating human rights crisis as the cycle of persecution continues, marked by a surge in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture across the province.

Human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) mentioned that in the early hours of Thursday, Pakistani forces raided the house of Abdul Wahid, in the Baloch Abad area of the province and abducted three students. The victims were identified as Haroon Baloch, Hamood, and Fahad Baloch. Both Haroon and Hamood are brothers.

Condemning this act of collective punishment against innocent students, the BVJ said, “The continuous abduction of Baloch youth reflects the deepening human rights crisis in Balochistan”.

The rights body called on the United Nations, international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch to intervene and demand the safe recovery of all disappeared persons.

Additionally, the BVJ mentioned that on October 19, another five Baloch students — Hameed Ullah, Bawal Khan, Jahangir, Ahmed Shah and Nimat Ullah were forcibly disappeared by security forces from Kharan district in Balochistan.

The rights body expressed deep concern over the alarming cases of enforced disappearances and strongly condemned the continued targeting of Baloch students.

On Wednesday, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, said that three more Baloch civilians fell victim to enforced disappearance by Pakistani forces in Balochistan.

The rights body highlighted that on October 16, Ayaz and Imdad, residents of Awaran district, were forcibly disappeared by the Pakistan Army. Both were summoned to an army camp and subsequently detained, while their whereabouts remain unknown.

According to Paank, on October 20, a 16-year-old Baloch student named Balach Baloch was similarly forcibly disappeared by the Pakistan Army from the Turbat region in Kech district.

Last week, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in its report titled “Human Rights Situation in Balochistan”, documented widespread abuses specifically perpetrated by the Pakistani authorities between July and August.

“Enforced disappearances continued to increase as 182 people disappeared, with 80 in July and 102 in August. Out of these, 38 have been released. One killed in custody and 142 are still missing with no trace of their whereabouts and well-being. The victims include 40 students, 15 minors and one woman,” read the report.

As per the findings, several districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Kech and Awaran, recorded the largest number of enforced disappearance cases, with Pakistan’s Frontier Corps reportedly the main perpetrator.

–IANS

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