Pakistan Forces Disappear Baloch Lawyer After Deportation from Oman

BW News Web Desk: Serious concerns have been raised over the safety of a Baloch lawyer after Omani authorities deported him to Pakistan, following which his whereabouts remain unknown.

According to reports, 45-year-old Advocate Muhammad Hassan son of Dushambe, a resident of Dashti Bazaar in Turbat, was detained by Omani intelligence agencies in Muscat around four months ago. He was later deported to Pakistan on December 11, but since his arrival, no information has been provided regarding his location.

His family and friends said they only learned of his transfer to Pakistan after the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) shared his details, highlighting his arrest and deportation.

Muhammad Hassan reportedly had no involvement in political activities related to the Baloch movement and had left Balochistan years ago in search of employment, working as a labourer in various Gulf states.

However, his family has reportedly acknowledged that Muhammad Hassan was an eyewitness to the abduction of Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, a prominent Baloch leader.

Another lawyer, Advocate Kachkol Ali, who was also an eyewitness to the abduction of Namiran (martyr) Ghulam Mohammad Baloch and his companions at the hands of Pakistani forces, has managed to escape similar threats. Due to security concerns, Advocate Kachkol Ali sought refuge in Norway, where he currently resides.

Ghulam Mohammad Baloch was the chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM). He, along with Lala Munir andSher Mohammad Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), was abducted from his lawyer’s office after a court hearing on 3 April 2009.

Their tortured, bullet-riddled bodies were later found on 9 April 2009 in the Morgaap area of Turbat, Balochistan, in what became one of the most high-profile cases of enforced disappearances in the region.

As of now, no official statement has been issued by Omani or Pakistani authorities regarding the abduction and subsequent deportation of Muhammad Hassan Advocate.