Quetta, Dec 30 (IANS) The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has expressed "grave concern" over what it termed a continued pattern of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, including several recent cases involving Baloch women and girls, local media reported on Tuesday.
In a statement, HRCP stated that two students of University of Peshawar - Habib Wazir and Adnan Wazir, had been missing since November 12 after participating in a government-convened jirga, and stressed that their alleged abduction demonstrated how due process was "routinely bypassed," The Balochistan Post reported.
The rights watchdog expressed concern over the alleged disappearance of former lawmaker Nisar Panhwar and his son Mohsin Panhwar, who were reportedly taken by men wearing plain clothes in Karachi on December 22. It stated that the case has been reported amid an increase in disappearances of people, including women, minors and activist Mahjabeen Baloch and at least six others, in Balochistan in November and December.
HRCP stated that such actions breached constitutional guarantees and had caused "irreversible harm" to families who await information about their loved ones. The group said, "The state must ensure transparency, accountability for perpetrators and unconditional access to justice."
On December 22, 15-year-old student Nasreen (Nasreena) Baloch was allegedly forcibly disappeared from her residence during a raid conducted during night in Hub Chowki.
On December 20, two women from the same family - Hani Dilwash, who is eight months pregnant, and 17-year-old Hair Nisa, were allegedly detained during a raid conducted late night in Hub Chowki. The whereabouts of the two women remain unknown.
Earlier on December 1, a woman identified as Farzana Zehri was allegedly detained while returning from a hospital in Khuzdar while another woman, Rahima, was detained with her brother in Dalbandin and remains missing.
Meanwhile, several Baloch families held a protest in Kech district against the enforced disappearance of four members of the same family by Pakistani forces on December 23. 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
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