Jun 15, 2020

Balochistan: Pakistan Abducts 8 Baloch Youths


A number of young Baloch men have reportedly been abducted by the Pakistani military from different regions of Pakistan's Balochistan province. After a number of raids, the young men were taken to a nearby military base and have not been able to speak to their families. The kidnappings continue a trend of enforced disappearances by the Pakistani military in Balochistan. To date, estimates by the pro-freedom Baloch political parties claim that over 30,000 Baloch are in the illegal custody of the Pakistani military. 

Below is an article by Balochwarna News

Pakistani security forces have abducted at least eight Baloch from different regions of Balochistan in the past few days.

According to details, Salem son of Kachkol Ali a resident of Washbod town in Panjgur city of Balochistan was picked up from his house on Thursday, June 13, 2020.

He was arrest without any legal procedure or court warrant and shifted him to the military Cantonment in Panjgur.

The army has refused to allow the family members to meet him as to know about his wellbeing.

In another similar offensive on June 13, the Pakistan army abducted six Baloch youths from Gresha area of Khuzdar, Balochistan.

Sources informed BalochWarna News that Pakistani forces carried out six offensive raids in different areas of Khuzdar and abducted six Baloch youths.

The victims have been named as Azum son of Daud and Zahid Nek Mohammad from Zabad are of Gresha town, Rafiq son of Ali and Sattar son of Mohammad were abducted from Kocha town and Wazir son of Murad Tariq son of Ameen was abducted from Goni town.

 All these six Baloch youths have reportedly have been taken to a nearby by military camp initially.

It is important to recall that recently several other Baloch youths were also abducted from the Gresha area of Khuzdar by Pakistani forces.  

Earlier on June 1, 2020, Pakistan forces abducted a Baloch student named Muawiya Jamaldini son of Obaidullah Jamaldini from Balochistan’s Noshki district.

Sources reported that plain-clothed personnel of Pakistan Intelligence Agencies abducted Mr Jamaldini from near his house in Killi Jamaldini area of Noshki Balochistan around 10 pm on 1st June.  

Muawiya Jamaldini is the deputy organiser of Baloch Student Organisation – Pajjar – in Noshki. The BSO Pajjar is considered the student wing of Hasil Khan Bezinjo led National Party.  

It is also pertinent to mention that enforced-disappearances in Balochistan were intensified during National Party senior leader Dr Malik’s era as Chief Minister of Balochistan.

Even though Dr Malik Baloch did speak about enforced-disappearances in Balochistan but he like his predecessors and the current CM of Balochistan failed to take any practical steps to prevent enforced-disappearances.

Now that the NP is not in government, it seems Pakistan military has started putting pressure on their student wing activists to send a message to the NP to remain silent on military crimes in Balochistan or face the consequences.

Local sources say that the intelligence agencies officials took Mr Jamaldini directly to the FC (Frontier Corps) camp in Noshki which supervised by Colonel Azhar Ali Shiraz and Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Asif.

Separately, the family of previous abducted Dr Daulat Baloch son of Wahid Bakhsh has appealed for his immediate and safe release.

According to details Daulat Baloch was on the way home in Quetta when he was intercepted by the secret agency of Pakistan on November 1st, 2018 and hurled into the vehicle by plain-clothed members of ISI.

The family of victims reportedly said they hold the Commander of Southern Command Quetta of Pakistan Army, Lt Gen Mohammed Waseem Ashraf responsible for the abduction of Dr Daulat Baloch.

Balochistan is overwhelmed by enforced-disappearances since the beginning of the current phase of the Baloch liberation struggle in the year 2000.

The pro-freedom Baloch political parties and human rights groups in Balochistan maintain that currently, more than 30,000 Baloch are in the illegal custody of the Pakistan army and other security forces.

Baloch have long been urging the UN and other international Human Rights Organisation to take action against Pakistani and Iranian state brutalities and take notice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

The international ‘rights champions’ have so far failed to take any concrete steps to prevent what Baloch call ‘the Baloch genocide’ by ‘occupying states’ Iran and Pakistan.

 

Photo: Salem Kachkol, a young Baloch man who was abducted. Credit: Balochwarna News.