How Are Human Rights Bodies Responding to the 'Illegal Detention' of Three Youths by Pakistani Forces in Balochistan?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Three youths unlawfully detained by Pakistani forces in Balochistan.
- Condemnation from various human rights organizations.
- Call for international intervention regarding human rights abuses.
- Continued suppression of political activism in the region.
- Importance of raising awareness about enforced disappearances.
Quetta, Nov 7 (NationPress) A number of human rights organizations have strongly denounced the unlawful detention of three young individuals by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, as the cycle of oppression intensifies amidst a rising tide of enforced disappearances throughout the region.
The Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, known as Paank, reported that Salman Baloch, the Deputy Organizer of the National Democratic Party (NDP), along with two others, Deleep Das and Sahir Baloch, were forcibly taken during an unlawful raid on Thursday night at Bolan Plaza on Brewery Road in Quetta, the provincial capital. The organization accused Pakistani security forces of conducting a thorough search of their room without a warrant and subsequently abducting all three individuals.
Paank emphasized that there has been a troubling increase in unlawful detentions of political activists in Balochistan, irrespective of their affiliations.
“This trend is alarming, as the Pakistani state and its infamous law enforcement agencies are deliberately undermining democratic and peaceful political ideals within the region. We have consistently highlighted the state’s malicious intentions, yet their illegal actions continue to escalate,” Paank stated.
The organization called on the international community to urge Pakistan to address its ongoing human rights abuses in Balochistan, particularly concerning enforced disappearances.
In a statement denouncing the incident, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) characterized the extrajudicial detention of Salman Baloch and his associates as part of Pakistan’s ongoing strategy to suppress democratic political engagement in Balochistan.
“We have noted a marked increase in the state’s irregular and unlawful activities aimed at further diminishing the already limited space for democratic political engagement in Balochistan, highlighted by the forced and illegal detention of Salman Baloch, the Central Deputy Organizer of the National Democratic Party (NDP), along with his companions, Deleep Das and Sahir Baloch, who were taken from Quetta at approximately 3 AM on November 6. All three detainees have been moved to an undisclosed location, with no information provided to their families or friends,” the BWF remarked.
The BWF expressed solidarity with the National Democratic Party and urged the international community to take note of the “direct brutality” against democratic political engagement in Balochistan.
“Their abductions violate the law, moral standards, and constitute an attack on the integrity of Baloch society as a whole,” it added.