10 people forcibly disappear in Karachi over a week: Reports
Karachi, Aug 17 (IANS) At least 10 people were forcibly disappeared in Pakistan from Maripur, Karachi, local media reported.
Online news network ‘The Balochistan Post’ said, citing sources, that Khalid Baloch, brother of former Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) chairman Shabbir Baloch, have allegedly been forcibly disappeared from Maripur, Karachi, over the past week.
Over the course of last week, nine people- Sooraj, Shahbaz, Sakhi, Aamir, Sameer, Allah Bakhsh, Aamir Wahid, Aziz Noor Dad, and Sabir Aziz- were detained during separate operations, the online news network said, citing sources.
“Locals further stated that operations have been ongoing for the past month in several Baloch-majority areas of Karachi. They claimed that Rangers and intelligence personnel have been conducting nighttime operations, including cordoning off areas, searches, and detentions,” it noted.
On Sunday, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, said that 27-year-old student Wajid Baloch was abducted in the early hours of August 10 from Qambrani Road in provincial capital Quetta by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel.
In a separate incident, another 17-year-old student, Asfand Baloch, was abducted by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Military Intelligence on August 4 from Killi Almas Airport Road in Quetta.
Condemning the incident, Paank said, “The disappearance of a minor is particularly alarming and raises serious concerns regarding his safety and well-being.”
Additionally, 40-year-old Asif Ali was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces from his home in Quetta on August 1 by personnel of the ISI and CTD. Since then, the rights body said, his whereabouts and condition remain unknown.
“The continued practice of enforced disappearances, including the targeting of students and civilians, constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights and perpetuates fear and suffering among families across Balochistan,” Paank stated.
The rights body called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Asif Ali, Asfand Baloch and Wajid Baloch, while ensuring their safety and physical integrity, and release them immediately.
It urged the United Nations, international human rights organisations and the international community to take immediate notice of the continuing pattern of enforced disappearances in Balochistan and to press the Pakistani authorities to end this practice, reveal the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons, ensure accountability and provide justice to victims and their families.
–IANS
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