Quetta, Nov 18 (NationPress) A minimum of twelve Baloch civilians, comprising four women and an elderly man, have been forcibly taken by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan. This incident occurs amid an alarming trend of enforced disappearances, as reported by a prominent human rights organization on Tuesday.

This recent event highlights an ongoing pattern of oppression characterized by an increase in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and acts of torture throughout the province.

In a statement, the Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) expressed deep concern, noting that the twelve individuals were allegedly detained by Pakistani security forces in the Kech district and remain unaccounted for.

According to local sources, the individuals, including Lal Bakhsh, Farzana, Memal, Sher Bano, and Shireen, were apprehended while on their way to a pilgrimage, with their current locations unknown.

“If verified, the enforced disappearance of civilians, especially women, is a grave violation of Pakistan's commitments under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The targeting of women and the elderly through arbitrary detention or extrajudicial actions is a profoundly concerning trend that necessitates immediate and transparent investigations,” stated the BVJ.

The organization urged the Pakistani authorities to reveal the whereabouts of all detained individuals, ensure their safety, release anyone held without charges, and bring them before a court in compliance with due process.

Furthermore, it demanded an end to enforced disappearances and called on officials to guarantee that no individual is subjected to arbitrary or incommunicado detention, while allowing independent human rights organizations to investigate allegations of abuse and monitor the conditions in Balochistan freely.

“We implore both national and international human rights organizations to closely observe this situation and advocate for accountability and transparency. The persistent pattern of enforced disappearances in Balochistan must not be allowed to continue unchecked. Every person, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or political stance, is entitled to liberty, safety, and dignity,” the BVJ emphasized.

In a report on the ongoing atrocities in Balochistan, Paank, the Human Rights Department of the Baloch National Movement, noted that two Baloch civilians were also subjected to enforced disappearance by Pakistani security forces in the provincial capital, Quetta.

The rights organization reported that on November 11, Jehanzaib Baloch, a resident of the Kachi Baig area in Quetta and a shopkeeper, was forcibly disappeared by personnel from Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department and Military Intelligence.

In a separate incident on November 12, officials from the CTD and military intelligence abducted another shopkeeper, Haji Waheed Shahwani, from his shop located on Popalzai Market Road in Quetta.