Human Rights Council of Balochistan Reports Alarming Surge in Enforced Disappearances: Know the Reason

The Balochistan Human Rights Council (HRCB) has sounded the alarm at a shocking escalation of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions in the province as outlined in its February 2025 report. 

The report outlines a disturbing trend of human rights abuses focusing especially on students and political activists. In February, 144 cases of enforced disappearances were reported with 102 still missing, 41 released and one murdered. In addition, 46 killed in the form of extrajudicial executions with most of the victims identified.

The Frontier Corps (FC) was blamed for 125 of the disappearances while intelligence agencies and death squads were implicated for others. House raids were the primary way of abduction, representing 102 out of the 144 cases. The report also points out the vulnerability of persons abducted from checkpoints and those called to camps.

Enforced disappearances in Balochistan have been a human rights concern for many years drawing attention since the early 2000s and focusing on Baloch nationalists and activists. The increased number of disappearances indicates increasing repression of Baloch calls for autonomy and cultural identity.