QUETTA, BALOCHSITAN: The Baloch Students Organization Azad (BSO Azad) has said the enforced disappearance of its former spokesperson, Shabbir Baloch, for 10 years amounts to “Pakistani war crimes.”
In a statement issued by spokesperson Sholan Baloch, the organization said Shabbir Baloch was taken into custody by Pakistani security institutions on October 4, 2016, from the Gorkop area of Kech. It said he was staying at a relative’s home at the time and was detained in front of his family. The statement said that 10 years on, no information about his whereabouts has been made public.
The organization described Shabbir Baloch as a peaceful student leader and political activist. It said political struggle for self-determination is a legitimate right under international law and that the group is pursuing a political struggle against what it calls Pakistani occupation in Balochistan.
BSO Azad also said that its members and leaders have long faced state repression. It claimed that several activists were forcibly disappeared and later found dead and that former chairperson Zahid Baloch, former vice chairperson Zakir Majeed and joint deputy general secretary Asad Baloch remain missing after being forcibly disappeared. The organization said they have been held in undisclosed detention centers for years.
According to the statement, the organization and Shabbir Baloch’s family have raised their voice for his recovery for a decade through protests, sit-ins and international legal channels. It alleged that the family has faced threats and harassment from state institutions instead of receiving justice.
BSO Azad urged international organizations to hold Pakistan accountable and play their role in securing the recovery of Shabbir Baloch and all other forcibly disappeared Baloch persons.
Meanwhile, Shabbir Baloch’s family has also announced a campaign on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his disappearance.
Separately, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) said its protest camp outside the Quetta Press Club entered its 6,378th day on Sunday, with its chairman, Nasrullah Baloch, demanding Shabbir Baloch’s recovery.
