The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) raise alarm over the abduction of Ghani Aman Chandio, Central Chief Organiser of the Sindh National Students Federation (SNSF), who was forcibly taken by unidentified men in civilian clothes from a hospital in Karachi while accompanying his ill daughter for medical care.
According to the report of The Balochistan Post and the statement of World Sindhi Congress, a group of state agencies intercepted Chandio inside the hospital premises, blindfolded him, and took him away by force, in full view of his family and numerous witnesses. The perpetrators reportedly seized his mobile phone and destroyed CCTV recordings to eliminate any evidence of the incident. His current whereabouts remain unknown, raising serious concerns for his safety and well-being.
This abduction has prompted widespread condemnation from Amnesty International, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and several student and human rights organizations, who have denounced the act as a gross violation of human rights and a continuation of Pakistan’s alarming record of enforced disappearances.
UNPO emphasizes that this latest incident is not an isolated case, but part of a long-standing and systematic pattern of state-led intimidation and suppression targeting Sindhi, Baloch and other minority activists across Pakistan. For years, students, journalists, and human rights defenders have faced arbitrary arrests, disappearances and harassment for exercising their fundamental rights to free expression and peaceful activism.
The abduction of Ghani Aman Chandio has sparked protests and sit-ins across Sindh, with civil society groups, student unions, and human rights defenders demanding his immediate release and an independent investigation into his disappearance. These demonstrations reflect growing frustration among marginalized communities in Sindh over the persistent culture of impunity surrounding such violations.
UNPO reiterates that the abduction of any activist, and particularly of a student leader advocating for social justice, represents a direct assault not only on the individual but on civil society as a whole. The suppression of student movements undermines the democratic fabric of Pakistan and erodes trust between citizens and institutions.
Freedom of expression, association, and peaceful organization are not privileges, they are non-negotiable rights enshrined in international law and guaranteed by Pakistan’s own constitution. Silencing those who peacefully advocate for human rights weakens the very foundations of accountability, justice, and sustainable development.
UNPO, together with the World Sindhi Congress, calls on the Government of Pakistan and international bodies to ensure the immediate and safe release of Ghani Aman Chandio, to conduct a transparent, independent, and impartial investigation into his abduction, and to end the ongoing practice of enforced disappearances and state-sponsored intimidation targeting political and student activists. Moreover, Pakistan must uphold its international human rights obligations and guarantee the protection of all individuals who peacefully defend fundamental freedoms.
UNPO stands in full solidarity with Ghani Aman Chandio’s family, the Sindhi people and with all activists, students and defenders of human rights who continue to advocate peacefully for justice and dignity in the face of repression.
