Quetta: Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has raised alarm over what she described as the systematic targeting of Baloch women, following the enforced disappearance of Hajra Baloch, the fifth such case reported this year.
In a statement shared on social media platform X, Dr. Baloch said the latest disappearance is not an isolated incident but part of a broader state policy involving unlawful detention and enforced disappearances carried out by Pakistani security agencies, in violation of international human rights law.
“The abduction of Hajra Baloch confirms a pattern of repression and collective punishment,” she said, warning that enforced disappearances of Baloch women are increasing with impunity.
Dr. Baloch listed several cases reported this year, including Mahjabeen Baloch, who was forcibly disappeared from Quetta on May 29; Nasreena Baloch, taken from Hub Chowki on November 22; Raheema Baloch, disappeared from Dalbandin on December 9; and Farzana Baloch, taken from Khuzdar on December 1. She said the addition of a fifth case underscores the systematic nature of the issue.
She further stated that continued silence in the face of these incidents is enabling further violations, describing the disappearances as deliberate acts executed through state security institutions.
Calling for urgent international intervention, Dr. Baloch appealed to global human rights mechanisms, including the United Nations Human Rights Office, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UN Special Rapporteurs, and international women’s rights organizations, to take immediate notice and action.
