Pakistan: Rights groups, lawyers express concern over enforced disappearances of Baloch women

Quetta: Rights groups, activists, lawyers and student organisations have expressed concern over rising cases of enforced disappearances of Baloch women, warning that cases reported in recent months showcase a troubling phase in the human rights crisis of Pakistan’s Balochistan, a report has stated.

The Baloch Students Organisation (BSO Azad) termed rising enforced disappearances of Baloch women by Pakistani agencies as “the most brutal form of Baloch genocide”, adding that the silence of international human rights groups was “deeply alarming,” The Balochistan Post reported.

In its statement, BSO Azad said that the violation of Baloch traditions, the sexual violence against women and the forced abduction of women “as a form of collective punishment” were intolerable. The organisation stressed that women faced torture, fabricated charges and public humiliation through media trials, while elderly and ill women were being thrown into “torture cells”.

The group termed the disappearance of Baloch women a deliberate effort to intimidate people, silence activists, and suppress resistance. It warned that Pakistan wanted to normalise abuses against Baloch women to avoid scrutiny and urged international institutions to hold the state accountable and called on people of Balochistan to adopt strong resistance to ensure that women can live “a safe and dignified life, free from oppression and violence.”

The Makran High Court Bar Association termed what it called the “abduction-style arrests” of Baloch women as “the worst atrocity in history”, warning that Balochistan was passing through “the most delicate phase in its history”. The Bar Association stated women were being disappeared after young men were primarily targeted for years, terming the pattern a violation of human rights and a violation of the Constitution.

Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Sammi Deen Baloch stated that new cases of enforced disappearances were being reported in which women were taken from their homes “in front of their families, without warrants and without any charges”, adding that “what was once unimaginable has now become normalised.”

Baloch stated that enforced disappearances of underage girls, pregnant women and young mothers demonstrated that “no one is safe anymore in the face of state violence”. She stated that cases of enforced disappearances showcased a systematic way to terrorise society, silence dissent, and punish families. She urged people to raise their voices and support efforts demanding the safe recovery of Baloch women.

The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) expressed concern over what it termed as rising cases of enforced disappearances of Baloch women. In its statement, HRCB stated that cases of enforced disappearances showcased a “dangerous expansion” of a practice that had already become normalised through years of disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch men. The group stated that actions violated Pakistan’s constitution and the country’s obligations under international human rights treaties and demanded the recovery of all disappeared women and an end to enforced disappearance.

On Tuesday, several Baloch families held a protest in Kech district against the enforced disappearance of four members of the same family by Pakistani forces. According to the BYC, the victims – two women and two men – identified as Fareed Ijaz, Mujahid Dilwash, Hani Dilwash, and Hair-Nisa Wahid were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani agencies. The rights body stated that their families have taken to the streets of Tejaban village in Kech, demanding the safe return of their loved ones.

“Their protest is peaceful, yet their voices are being ignored, and no clear information has been given about where the missing family members are being held. The families say they will not end their protest until all four are safely recovered. They are calling on the people of Tejaban and nearby areas to stand with them and speak out against enforced disappearances, a practice that has torn apart countless families across Balochistan,” the BYC posted on X.

IANS