Quetta, Aug 1 (IANS) Amid mounting concerns over enforced disappearances of Baloch civilians across Pakistan, a leading human rights organisation on Saturday alleged that another five civilians were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, revealed that 24-year-old farmer Younas Baloch was taken by personnel of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on the night of July 29 from Tando Allahyar district in Sindh province.

In a separate incident on the same day, 35-year-old plumber Abdul Majid was forcibly disappeared by Pakistan Rangers from Karachi, while returning home from work.

The rights body mentioned that Sher Khan, a resident of Gwadar district in Balochistan, was abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies and military personnel on the night of July 27. Since then, it said, his family has received no official information regarding his fate or whereabouts.

Additionally, 19-year-old student Nuneeb Baloch was forcibly disappeared during a raid on his home on July 12 by Pakistani security forces. Even his whereabouts remain unknown.

Citing reports, Paank mentioned that a 20-year-old shopkeeper, Kifayatullah Baloch, was forcibly disappeared last month by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) from Kalat district in Balochistan.

Paank called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of the missing individuals, ensure their protection and access to legal counsel and their families, and conduct prompt, impartial, and transparent investigations to hold those responsible accountable.

“The continued practice of enforced disappearances violates Pakistan's obligations under international human rights law and perpetuates suffering for victims' families,” it noted.

These latest incidents come against the backdrop of a growing wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province.

In its latest report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) highlighted escalating abuses by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, documenting 77 killings and 63 cases of enforced disappearance during the month of June.

Among the 63 documented victims of enforced disappearance, the HRCB said that two were women and three were teenagers. It added that only 17 of those forcibly disappeared were released during the month, while the remaining victims continue to be held incommunicado.

The report identified the FC as the primary perpetrator in enforced disappearances, accounting for 36 cases, followed by Pakistani intelligence agencies with 16 cases, state-backed death squads with six cases and the CTD with five cases.

“House raids continued to be the primary method used to carry out enforced disappearances, accounting for 27 cases (42.86%). Detentions accounted for 20 cases (31.75%), while 10 victims (15.87%) were forcibly disappeared during military operations. Three victims disappeared after being summoned to an FC camp (4.76%), and another three were detained at a security checkpoint (4.76%),” the HRCB report mentioned.

--IANS

scor/as