Quetta / Gwadar / Kharan / Hub: Enforced disappearances in Balochistan continue unabated, with families of missing individuals expressing deep concern and frustration over the lack of accountability from authorities. Recent reports indicate that at least seven young men have been forcibly taken by Pakistani security forces from multiple districts, with no information about their whereabouts.

In Quetta, the family of Mufti Zubair, son of Murad Khan Jatak from Salehabad, Khuzdar District, reported that he was forcibly disappeared on the night of November 20, 2025, around midnight, from the Luck Pass area of Quetta. His family is extremely anxious over his continued absence and has appealed to human rights activists, civil society organisations, and political groups to intervene and ensure his safe and immediate recovery.

Meanwhile, in Gwadar, Kharan, and Quetta’s Saryab Road, five more youths have been abducted by security forces. Balach and Ihsan, sons of Muhammad Hassan, graduates of the Federal Urdu University in Karachi, were forcibly taken from their home on January 22, 2026. Hafiz Nazir Ahmed Lehri, a government employee, was disappeared on January 1 from his residence on Saryab Road, Quetta.

In Kharan District, two additional youths, Abdullah son of Hafizullah Siyah Pad, and Farhad son of Ahmed Baloch, were taken from their homes under similar circumstances. Abdullah was reportedly taken on January 18 without a warrant, while Farhad was abducted from the Rab Pat Jozan area and placed in a vehicle belonging to Pakistani forces. Families of all missing individuals report receiving no information about the reasons for the abductions or their current location.

Families have criticised the authorities for their failure to register First Information Reports (FIRs) in these cases and for providing no official responses despite repeated appeals. They describe the continued disappearances as illegal, unconstitutional and a serious violation of human rights, adding that the secret detention of civilians demonstrates both abuse of power and the innocence of the victims.

Human rights groups warn that enforced disappearances in Balochistan have persisted for over two decades, with recent years seeing a sharp increase in abductions of both men and women, as well as killings in “fake encounters.” Civil society organisations, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), have repeatedly called for transparency, accountability, and the safe recovery of missing persons, stressing that impunity for perpetrators encourages further abuses.

The families of the missing have vowed to continue protests and awareness campaigns, including press conferences, sit-ins, and social media activism, until their loved ones are returned safely. They demand that if any legal allegations exist against the missing individuals, they be presented in open court, rather than being secretly detained or disappeared.

The ongoing wave of disappearances underscores growing concerns about human rights violations and the rule of law in Balochistan, with families appealing to national and international actors to intervene and ensure justice.