23 Years of Silence: The Family of Ali Asghar Bangulzai Await His Release

QUETTA: The plight of Ali Asghar Bangulzai, a tailor by profession, remains unresolved 23 years after he was forcibly disappeared from Saryab Road in Quetta near Degree College on October 18, 2001.

His family continues to seek answers and justice, urging international and national human rights organisations to raise their voices for his recovery.

Ali Asghar is the uncle of Nasrullah Baloch, the chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP). Since the onset of enforced disappearances, Nasrullah has been at the forefront of advocating for justice, leading the VBMP since its establishment in 2009.

The organization has maintained a continuous token hunger strike, demanding the release of all Baloch individuals who have been forcibly taken from their families.

Farooq, one of Ali Asghar’s sons, spoke to media outlets in 2018, expressing the family’s frustration. “We approached the Balochistan High Court and other human rights organisations in 2002. The case was taken up by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2007. However, they did nothing to trace my father.”

With deep concern, Farooq added, “We want justice from the courts. My family is worried that my father is being tortured.”

Nasrullah echoed these sentiments, adding that the subsequent governments, since Ali Asghar’s disappearance, have failed to address the issue of missing persons effectively.

As a father of eight, with two daughters and six sons, Ali Asghar’s absence has left a significant void in the lives of his loved ones. The Bangulzai family, along with the VBMP, consistently advocate for the urgent need for accountability and the restoration of basic human rights for all victims of enforced disappearances.