Amnesty International and IHRF Express Concern Over Enforced Disappearances of Baloch Students

SHAAL (QUETTA): Two prestigious Human Rights organisation have expressed deep concern over a disturbing surge in the enforced disappearances of Baloch students at the hands of Pakistani forces, highlighting a coordinated campaign of repression against Baloch youth.

In separate but strongly worded statements, both Amnesty Internationaland theInternational Human Rights Foundation (IHRF) have condemned the Pakistani authorities for the ongoing targeting of Baloch students in Balochistan and other regions, calling for immediate action to uncover the truth and hold perpetrators accountable.

Among the most recent cases is Mahjabeen Baloch, a student at the University of Balochistan, who has been missing since May 29, 2025. Her disappearance came just days after her brother, Younas Baloch, was abducted by security forces on May 24.

The situation has escalated sharply in the wake of student protests in Quetta. Authorities responded with a heavy-handed crackdown, detaining multiple Baloch activists, including the well-known rights defender Mahrang Baloch.

According to eyewitnesses, Javid Musafir Baloch, a law student at Karachi University, was taken from his residence during a joint police and counter-terrorism raid on April 23, while Guhram Ishaq, another student, was reportedly detained outside Quetta’s Civil Hospital on April 24. Neither has been seen or heard from since.

The International Human Rights Foundation has raised serious concerns that Pakistan’s feared intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), may be involved in orchestrating these abductions. The group condemned what it described as a “systemic campaign against ethnic Baloch youth” by a “military-led regime.”

“These are not isolated incidents,” the foundation said in its X post. “The pattern of disappearances points to a deliberate strategy of silencing Baloch voices through intimidation and unlawful detention.”

Both organisations have demanded immediate, transparent investigations, the public disclosure of the missing students’ whereabouts, and theirunconditional release. They also stress that those responsible must be brought to justice in fair trials, in accordance with international legal standards.

“The practice of enforced disappearances runs contrary to Pakistan’s international human rights obligations,” Amnesty International emphasised, echoing the IHRF’s call for an end to the targeting of students for their ethnic identity or peaceful activism.

The growing chorus of condemnation reflects intensifying scrutiny of Pakistan’s security practices, especially in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and suppression of dissent have long been reported.

As global pressure mounts, rights groups and the families of the disappeared continue to demand justice, transparency, and an end to the culture of impunity.