Enforced disappearances in Pakistan

However, the law enforcement agencies in Pakistan deny this and insist that many of the missing persons have either joined militant organisations such as the TTP in Afghanistan and other conflict zones[4] or they have fled to be an illegal immigrant in Europe and died en route.

The practice of enforced disappearance is a global problem that afflicts people in various countries and with different ethnicity, religions and political backgrounds.

[2] After the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, forced disappearance in Pakistan allegedly began during the rule of military dictator General Pervez Musharraf (1999 to 2008).

[11][12] Most of the cases of forced disappearances in recent year were reported in Pakistan's Balochistan province which has been witnessing a low-level insurgency for more than a decade and a half.

[13] Reports have shown that many people have fled the province to seek asylum in other countries because of the unrest caused by separatist militants.

Family members blamed security personnel for the killings and dumping of the bodies, according to VBMP chairperson Nasurllah Baloch.

[31] In November 2023, the Islamabad High Court addressed the case of 69 Baloch students who had been subjected to ethnic profiling, harassment, and enforced disappearances by state institutions.

The court criticized the lack of action from the government and summoned key officials, including the Prime Minister, to explain the failure to resolve the issue.

[32] Jan Achakzai Pakistan government official made a momentous statement, announcing that 2,200 missing people had been found in the province.

Despite assurances from successive administrations to outlaw this practice, progress in enacting relevant legislation has been sluggish, leaving individuals vulnerable to forced disappearances without any accountability for the perpetrators.

[36] Since the outset of its occupation, the Pakistani state has resorted to enforced disappearances as a means to suppress the oppressed population of Balochistan, marking a prolonged history of such occurrences.