Protests Escalate Over Enforced Disappearances in Balochistan

Demonstrators in Balochistan protest for the fourth day, blocking a key CPEC road. They demand justice for enforced disappearances and human rights violations. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee and families of the missing criticize state security forces, drawing attention to the long-standing issue in the resource-rich region.

For the fourth consecutive day, demonstrators remain stationed in Pakistan's Balochistan, protesting against enforced disappearances by blocking the pivotal China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) road. The protests, led by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee and families of the missing, have drawn attention to alleged human rights violations in the region, according to The Balochistan Post.

Protesters, during a press conference, accused security forces of systematically abducting Baloch youth. They described these enforced disappearances as a state-endorsed policy. The demonstrators, supported by families of 12 forcibly disappeared individuals, criticized security forces' violent tactics to disperse their sit-in, which has seen heavy deployment of police, levies, and Frontier Corps personnel.

The practice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan remains a serious issue. Since the early 2000s, thousands have vanished, allegedly at the hands of state security elements aiming to suppress Baloch nationalist movements. Despite international criticisms, the issue persists, with families of the disappeared continuing to demand accountability from the Pakistani government.

(With inputs from agencies.)