Balochistan [Pakistan], February 15 (ANI): A new wave of alleged enforced disappearances has again put Pakistan’s security apparatus under scrutiny, with at least seven individuals said to have gone missing in incidents connected to Panjgur and Karachi.
A student is among those unaccounted for, heightening anxiety among families already grappling with similar cases, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
According to The Balochistan Post, residents described a recent raid in Pulabad, a locality of Panjgur, where armed personnel carried out house searches and detained at least six people. Eyewitnesses said the individuals were transported to unknown locations.
Two names, Inayat and Rasheed, circulated within the community, but the identities of others could not be independently verified. A 23-year-old Zulfiqar, son of Hameed and a resident of Tasp, was reportedly seized from a marketplace on February 13, 2026.
Locals alleged that men linked to a state-supported armed faction, commonly dubbed a death squad, were involved. Since the incident, relatives say they have been left without information regarding his fate.
Another case drawing alarm involves Zakir Noor, a student from Panjgur who was allegedly detained in Karachi on December 30, 2025.
The Baloch rights organization Paank maintains he was taken by security personnel without legal documentation. Noor has not contacted his family since, fuelling fears that he may have been transferred to an undisclosed detention site, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.
Paank has stated that secret confinement places detainees at serious risk and violates international safeguards meant to protect individuals from arbitrary arrest. Activists say the pattern disproportionately affects students and young men, particularly those who migrate to major cities for education or work.
Authorities, for their part, have yet to publicly respond to the accusations, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)