Wave of enforced disappearances strikes Balochistan

Four young men have vanished in separate incidents across Balochistan, with families and activists pointing to state security forces. While one man from Karachi recently returned home after months in captivity, the pattern of arbitrary detentions continues to fuel deep-seated unrest and demands for accountability across the volatile province.

Editorial·October 15, 2026·reads: 2,980

Wave of enforced disappearances strikes Balochistan

Waleed Baloch, 25, was allegedly seized from his home in Gwadar’s Kaldan area. In the Chagai district, three other men—Nisar Malang, Muhammad Asif, and Hafiz Zubair Ahmed—were reportedly picked up by Frontier Corps personnel in early October. Their families currently have no information regarding their whereabouts or the legal grounds for their detention.

The recovery of Shahzaib, a Karachi resident found in Lasbela on October 7 after a four-month absence, offers a rare exception to the grim trend. However, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan documented 87 similar cases in August alone. These recurring incidents reinforce long-standing allegations against intelligence agencies and security forces, who remain accused of bypassing judicial processes to hold citizens incommunicado.