Pakistani security forces allegedly carried out the enforced disappearance of six civilians — including a 3-month-old infant, two other young children, and two women — from the Killi Kongarh area of Mastung district in Balochistan on 21 July 2025, drawing sharp condemnation from multiple human rights organisations. The victims' whereabouts remain unknown, with no official information provided to the family as of 24 July.

What Happened in Mastung

According to Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement, citing the victims' family, more than 20 Pakistan Frontier Corps (FC) vehicles carrying approximately 60 personnel — accompanied by three masked individuals in civilian clothing — raided the family's home on 21 July. Security personnel reportedly damaged household property under the pretext of a search operation before detaining all six individuals.

The six victims were identified as Bibi Rafia, 33, her three children aged 3 months, 4 years, and 6 years, her brother Muhammad Arif, 40, and her niece Bibi Nida, 18. No arrest warrants or official detention records have reportedly been shared with the family.

Rights Bodies Sound the Alarm

Paank stated that 'enforced disappearance is a serious violation of international human rights law and places those detained outside the protection of the law, exposing them to an increased risk of torture and other ill-treatment.' The organisation called on Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of the detained individuals.

The Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) expressed grave concern over what it described as a continued pattern of enforced disappearances specifically targeting Baloch women. The group alleged that 'women have reportedly been subjected to torture in secret detention, while some have allegedly been forced at gunpoint to participate in scripted press conferences in which they are presented as suicide bombers.' The BVJ urged UN Women and other global human rights mechanisms to take immediate action.

Broader Crisis in Balochistan

Sammi Deen Baloch, a member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), described Balochistan as having reached a point where 'people are forced to bury the dead almost every day.' She noted that the violence no longer distinguishes between civilians and officials, pointing to the killing of Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar as evidence of the province's deepening lawlessness.

In a post on social media platform X, Sammi wrote: 'The daylight killing of Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar is not merely a cause for alarm. It is a devastating indictment of the lawlessness engulfing Balochistan and the profound insecurity faced by its people.' She also criticised the Balochistan government for what she called a pattern of claiming normalcy on television while conducting crackdowns on peaceful activism and dissent.

Pattern of Disappearances

This incident is part of a long-documented pattern of alleged enforced disappearances in Balochistan, a resource-rich but conflict-affected province where security forces have faced persistent accusations of extrajudicial detention. International human rights bodies, including UN Special Rapporteurs, have previously raised concerns about the practice. The targeting of women and children in the 21 July raid marks what rights groups describe as an alarming escalation. Pakistani authorities had not issued an official response to these specific allegations as of the time of reporting.