Baloch students stage sit-in over 'disappearance' of Bayandur Baloch
Dec 05, 2024
Quetta [Balochistan], December 5, : Students at the Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water, and Marine Sciences (LUAWMS) in Uthal, Balochistan continued their sit-in protest on Wednesday, marking the fifth day of the demonstration.
The protestors are demanding the safe return of their missing fellow student, Bayandur Baloch.
They have established a camp outside the university and staged a rally on Wednesday, with Bayan's family members participating and demanding his immediate release. The demonstrators also hosted a seminar to raise awareness about the issue of enforced disappearances in the province, the Balochistan post reported.
Gullzadi Baloch, an activist from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and Mahzeb Baloch, the niece of enforced disappearance victim Rashid Hussain, joined the ongoing sit-in to show their support for the students.
The protesters, who have boycotted classes and exams, are protesting the enforced disappearance of Bayandur Baloch. However, students claim that the university administration is pressuring them to take midterm exams despite the ongoing protests.
Bayandur Baloch, a student in the Agriculture Department at LUAWMS, was reportedly detained along with his friends from Uthal Bazaar a few days ago.
While his friends were eventually released, Bayandur continues to remain missing.
The students have expressed deep concern for his safety and are demanding his immediate release or presentation in court. They have warned that their sit-in protest will continue until their demands are addressed.
In another incident, two more bodies were found in Balochistan yesterday, bringing the total number of bodies discovered within a 24-hour period to six. One of the victims was Amanullah, the son of Taus, a young boy who had been missing for a month after disappearing from the Kharotabad area in Quetta. His body was located in the mountains of Nohisar.
Local authorities have taken custody of the body and sent it to the hospital for further investigation.
Enforced disappearances are a regular occurrence in Balochistan, with reports suggesting that more than 55,000 people are currently missing, and thousands have been found dead.
Human rights organizations, including the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and Amnesty International, have repeatedly held Pakistani military forces and intelligence agencies responsible for these abductions.
