Balochistan: Pakistani Forces Abduct Another Woman in Kech

SHAAL, BALOCHISTAN: Pakistani forces have taken a woman into custody and transferred her to an undisclosed location, adding to growing concerns over enforced disappearances of women in Balochistan.

According to reports, on April 14, security personnel conducted a raid on a house in Sangabad, an area of Kech district, and detained 22-year-old Gul Bank, daughter of Taj Muhammad, before taking her away.

Family members and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) have confirmed the incident, stating that Gul Bank has not been seen since her detention and that her family fears for her safety. No official information has been provided about her whereabouts or condition.

The case is part of a broader pattern of enforced disappearances of women in Balochistan, where, according to available reports, at least five Baloch women have been subjected to enforced disappearance in April alone, while in recent months, approximately 15 women from different areas of Balochistan have been taken by Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies.

Among those reported missing this month are Khadija Baloch, who disappeared from the hostel of Bolan Medical College in Quetta; Samina Dost Muhammad, who was forcibly disappeared from Khuzdar; Hasina Baloch, a resident of Awaran, who was abducted from a naval colony in Karachi; and Shakeela, wife of Naseer, who was disappeared from Karachi on April 10, in addition to Gul Bank.

Several cases from last year also remain unresolved. These include Mah Jabeen Baloch from Quetta, Nasreena Baloch (daughter of Dilawar) from Hub Chowki, and Hair-ul-Nisa, all of whom are still missing. However, some previously disappeared women, including Hayat Bibi, Fatima Baloch and Hani Baloch from Hub and Khuzdar, have since been recovered.

Families of other missing women, including Hajira Baloch wife of Sanaullah from Hub, and Rubina Baloch daughter of Mohibullah from Turbat, say they have not received any new information regarding their loved ones.

In some cases, authorities have later presented missing individuals as formally arrested. Farzana Zehri and Rahima Bibi were declared arrested by the Balochistan government on charges of facilitating armed organisations after previously being subjected to enforced disappearance.

Advocacy groups and their families, however, rejected the state’s claims about their loved one and maintained that they were forcibly disappeared, kept in illegal detention for weeks and months, coerced into appearing on media and reading out premeditated statements of state forces.