QUETTA: Advocate Rahim Baloch, former Secretary General of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of three close relatives of BNM Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch, describing the incident as a clear case of “collective punishment” in Balochistan.
In a statement issued, Rahim Baloch said that Mir Mohammad Bakhsh Sajidi, his brother Naeem Sajidi, and Engineer Rafeeq Baloch were forcibly disappeared after early morning raids on their homes in Hub, Balochistan. According to him, the men were taken to an undisclosed location without any legal warrant or due process.
Mir Mohammad Bakhsh Sajidi is a retired deputy commissioner and the father of Dr. Naseem Baloch. Advocate Rahim Baloch noted that Sajidi is elderly and suffering from health issues. Naeem Sajidi and Engineer Rafeeq Baloch, a former Chief Engineer of Sui Gas Balochistan, are his close relatives. He emphasized that all three are peaceful civilians with no links to any political or armed group.
“Their only ‘crime’ is their blood relationship with Dr. Naseem Baloch,” Rahim Baloch said, adding that the disappearances were carried out as retaliation for the BNM chairman’s peaceful political activities. He said such actions reflect a longstanding policy of collective punishment and intimidation against Baloch political activists and their families.
Advocate Rahim Baloch stressed that enforced disappearance is prohibited under international law and constitutes a continuing crime against humanity. He called on international human rights organizations, United Nations special mechanisms, and diplomatic missions to take immediate notice of the case and press for the safe recovery of the disappeared persons and accountability for those responsible.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented cases of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, with families alleging that individuals are detained without due process. Pakistani authorities have routinely denied involvement in such cases, insisting that security operations are conducted in accordance with the law.
