Pakistani security forces have allegedly carried out the enforced disappearances of four civilians in Balochistan, according to Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement, in a statement released on Monday, 24 August. The allegations point to a continuing pattern of extrajudicial detentions across the province, with victims including a labourer and a woman.

The Latest Disappearance: Kamal Baloch

Kamal Baloch, identified as a labourer, was allegedly taken by Pakistani security forces on 20 August during a raid in the Talamb area of the Mand region in Balochistan. According to Paank, his family has received no information about his whereabouts, physical condition, or legal status since the incident.

The rights body stated: 'The denial of information about a person's whereabouts places them outside the protection of the law and exposes them to serious risks, including torture, ill-treatment, and extrajudicial execution. Enforced disappearance is a grave human rights violation and must not be treated as a legitimate form of detention.'

Paank called on Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose Kamal Baloch's location and ensure his safety, adding that he must either be released or produced before a competent civilian court with full due process guarantees.

Midnight Raid in Awaran: Three More Taken, Including a Woman

Separately, Paank condemned the enforced disappearance of three Baloch individuals during a midnight raid last month in Awaran district. The victims were identified as Rafiq Baloch, Shakir Baloch, and Shakir's wife Gull Banok — reportedly taken to an undisclosed location and denied access to their families and legal counsel.

'The reported targeting and disappearance of a woman alongside two men is particularly alarming and reflects the escalating risks faced by Baloch civilians, including women, amid ongoing security operations,' Paank noted. The inclusion of a woman among those allegedly disappeared has drawn particular concern from human rights observers.

International Pressure and the Surab Airstrikes

Paank has urged the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and governments worldwide to raise these cases directly with Pakistan and demand a halt to the practice of enforced disappearances in the province.

This comes amid broader unrest: on Sunday, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a march and protest in Gottingen, Germany, condemning reported airstrikes by the Pakistan Air Force in Balochistan's Surab district. The strikes reportedly killed more than 30 civilians, including women and children, and injured several others. Protesters called on the European Union, the UN, and the international community to take immediate action.

Context: A Deepening Crisis

Balochistan has long been the site of a low-intensity insurgency, with Pakistani security forces and Baloch nationalist groups locked in a decades-long conflict. Human rights organisations have documented hundreds of alleged enforced disappearances in the province over the years, though the Pakistani government has consistently denied systematic abuse. Paank and similar bodies operate largely from abroad, and their accounts have not been independently verified by Pakistani authorities. The Pakistani government had not issued a public response to these specific allegations at the time of reporting.

With international scrutiny intensifying and diaspora protests reaching European cities, pressure on Islamabad over Balochistan's human rights situation is unlikely to ease in the near term.