Baloch Youth Targeted Again in Pakistan’s Enforced Disappearances Campaign

Mastung (Balochistan), Oct 22: The cycle of enforced disappearances in Balochistan has struck again, with reports emerging that a young man from Mastung district, Adnan Rind, has been forcibly abducted by Pakistani security forces.

According to The Balochistan Post, Rind was taken for the second time after armed personnel raided his mobile phone shop, breaking the lock and confiscating phones and other valuables. His current whereabouts remain unknown, reigniting concerns over Pakistan’s ongoing campaign of intimidation against Baloch youth.

Rind had previously been abducted in September 2024 from his home in Killi Kark, Mastung, and was held in illegal detention for several weeks before being released without charges—a pattern frequently reported in Balochistan.

Human rights organisations inside and outside Pakistan have repeatedly condemned these actions, describing them as part of a systematic policy of enforced silence. Families of the disappeared are often left helpless, while perpetrators operate with impunity.

In a rare respite, three previously missing individuals were recently released in Karachi, Kalat, and Tump, including Kashif Yaqoob, missing since July, and Abdul Nasir and Adham Nasir from Mastung and Buleda, respectively. However, these isolated releases do little to address the entrenched culture of disappearances in the province.

The abduction of Adnan Rind highlights the persistent fear and lack of justice that Baloch citizens face, as enforced disappearances continue to be a central tool of state oppression in the region.