Balochistan: Protest Camp Against Enforced Disappearances Completes 6,000 Days
SHAAL, BALOCHISTAN: The protest camp of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), an organisation campaigning against enforced disappearances in Balochistan, completed 6,000 days on November 15. The camp, located outside the Quetta Press Club, has been ongoing for 16 years and is described as the world’s longest peaceful protest camp.
According to VBMP, the past 16 years have included numerous demonstrations, seminars, rallies, train marches and long marches across Balochistan, Karachi, and Islamabad. The organisation says it has repeatedly presented cases of enforced disappearances before the judiciary, various commissions, and federal and provincial governments.
At a press conference, VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch and other representatives said that despite their peaceful campaign, their leaders have faced “bogus cases,” including FIRs filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. They reported incidents of arrests, harassment, forced disappearances of some members, and the extrajudicial killing of two district coordinators. Despite this pressure, the organisation says it remains committed to its constitutional and peaceful struggle.
VBMP identifies itself as a non-political human rights organisation aiming to eliminate enforced disappearances from Balochistan and the rest of the country. When families report a missing person, the organisation submits the case first to the Commission on Missing Persons and then passes it on to both provincial and federal authorities. Families are informed throughout the legal process, and the issue is raised through various media channels.
The organisation claims that in the past 16 years state institutions have taken no practical steps to end enforced disappearances or recover missing persons. It alleges that amendments to national laws have expanded the powers of state agencies and granted constitutional protection to extrajudicial practices. VBMP argues that despite the continuous use of force since 2000, the situation in Balochistan has not improved.
VBMP called on state authorities to halt the use of force in Balochistan and pursue a political solution. It urged immediate recovery of disappeared persons, presentation of accused individuals before the courts, and an end to extrajudicial arrests and killings. The organisation also demanded legislation against enforced disappearances in line with constitutional and human rights standards.
Emphasising that enforced disappearances are not only the issue of one family or ethnic group but a broader humanitarian and justice challenge, VBMP appealed to the international community to raise its voice. The group also urged families of missing persons to break their silence, provide information about their loved ones, and participate actively in the protest movement.
