Rights Groups Mark 'Baloch Missing Person Day' Against Pakistani Forces

Rights groups mark 'Baloch Missing Person Day', highlight continued abuses by Pak forces

Quetta, June 8

The decision to declare June 8 as Missing Persons Day in Balochistan was taken during a central committee meeting of the Baloch Students Organisation(BSO)-Azad in 2017 to raise awareness regarding the Pakistani authorities' brutal policy of enforced disappearances.

Highlighting the atrocities of Pakistani forces, BSO-Azad took to X on Monday and posted: "June 8 is the day to remember all the victims of enforced disappearances who were taken away by the security agencies of the Pakistani army. Many of them returned after being tortured severely for some days, some of them remained in custody for months, enduring severe psychological and mental torture by the security agencies. Hundreds of them returned as dead bodies to their families, as the state killed them in fake encounters or extrajudicial target killings."

According to the student body, the number of people taken away by the agencies and later found dead runs into the thousands, while several never returned after disappearing by the agencies of the Pakistani state.

"Let's raise our voices for those who are behind torture cells, waiting to see the people stand for them, and inform the world about the atrocities committed by the state of Pakistan in the form of abducting thousands of people," it added.

Meanwhile, human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) stated that the day serves as a reminder that state coercion is not accidental but a systematic political policy aimed at keeping Balochistan mired in fear, silence, and division.

Renewing the call for justice, the BYC said, "8 June teaches us that silence is not neutrality but complicity with oppression. Today, every individual bears the responsibility to raise their voice against enforced disappearances, stand with affected families, expose state coercion, and challenge this political system built on fear. We need unified intellectual and practical struggle against this issue, because a nation that does not speak out for its missing people accepts silence for its future as well."

Another human rights body, the Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ), said that enforced disappearances constitute a serious violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to liberty, security, and due process. It added that the continued absence of accountability only deepens the suffering of affected families and undermines the principles of justice and the rule of law.

"On this day of remembrance and resolve, we reaffirm our commitment to stand in solidarity with the families of the missing. We call for truth, justice, and the immediate recovery of all forcibly disappeared individuals, and we pledge to continue raising our voices until every missing person is accounted for and reunited with their loved ones," the BVJ stated.

— IANS