Unrelenting tragedy: Enforced disappearances cast shadow over Balochistan in January 2024

Quetta [Balochistan], February 7 : The history of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is quite terrifying. The issue was at the top of the agenda of the rally taken out in December in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
The Balochistan Post, a news outlet uncovering the atrocities by the Pakistani administration on the Baloch community, revealed several hidden aspects of enforced disappearances in Balochistan in its monthly report.
The report was a document of all individuals who 'forcibly disappeared', allegedly by the Pakistani forces, during the month of January, according to The Balochistan Post report.
The report further stated that a total of 32 Baloch individuals vanished under questionable circumstances, allegedly abducted by the Pakistani security forces. Additionally, five dead bodies were discovered of individuals belonging to the Baloch community. On the other hand, 11 individuals who had disappeared previously returned to their homes.
In the poignant words of the late Baloch journalist, Sajid Hussain, "The dead don't haunt me as much as the missing do." Tragically, Hussain himself met the fate he feared, going 'missing' for a month before his lifeless body was recovered from a river in Uppsala, Sweden, in March 2020. His family, though grieving, found closure after a month of uncertainty. However, countless Baloch families are still enduring the anguish of having their loved ones vanish without a trace, living in a perpetual state of limbo, The Balochistan Post reported.
For them, the passage of time marks the absence of countless celebrations--Eids, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and more. Elderly women have succumbed to despair, yearning for the return of sons and husbands; mothers have shed countless tears, longing for the smiles of their young boys; and daughters and sisters have spent their youth in protest camps, holding onto hope for the safe return of fathers and brothers.
While some families have experienced the bittersweet fortune of welcoming back their loved ones, even in death, thousands of others remain in perpetual anguish. They face what they describe as the collective punishment imposed by a state aiming to silence, terrorize, and oppress them, with enforced disappearances as its weapon of choice. The mainstream media, whether out of fear or complicity, remains silent or distorts the reality of these atrocities. However, The Balochistan Post is breaking the silence and leading the way in shedding light on enforced disappearances.
In this comprehensive report, The Balochistan Post meticulously details the cases of individuals allegedly 'forcibly disappeared' by Pakistani forces during January. The report acknowledges the relief experienced by some families, as 11 of the disappeared individuals were safely reunited with their loved ones. Additionally, it pays tribute to the unfortunate families who, after enduring prolonged uncertainty, finally found closure with the discovery of the lifeless bodies of their missing relatives.
Throughout this critical period, The Balochistan Post documented numerous cases of enforced disappearances across various regions of Balochistan. The collected accounts underscore the severity of the situation, revealing a distressing total of 32 individuals who vanished under mysterious circumstances, reportedly at the hands of Pakistani security forces. While hope dawned for some families, the discovery of at least 5 dead bodies during January added to the collective grief and anger of the Baloch people, The Balochistan Post reported.