Rights body raises concerns over forcible disappearance of 6 Baloch men by Pakistani forces –

In Pakistan, several human rights organisations have raised concerns about the forcible disappearance of six men from multiple districts of Balochistan carried out by the Pakistani forces. A Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, Paank, highlighted that the incident occurred during the last two days amid a surge in enforced disappearances across Balochistan. The human rights organisation said that these abductions further highlight the alarming trend of systematic targeting of Baloch youth. Human rights activists also held a protest rally in Panjgur district of Balochistan yesterday against the extrajudicial killing of a member of the human rights organisation, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The recent press release issued by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan painted a grim picture of the increasingly repressive environment in which human rights defenders are now forced to operate in Pakistan. The human rights body called for the unconditional release of all detained human rights defenders, an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings all over Pakistan, including Balochistan, and the restoration of democratic rights across all regions.