A group of unidentified gunmen abducted at least five individuals from Pakistan’s Punjab province in the Kech district of Balochistan, as reported by The Balochistan Post. The incident occurred in Dandar village, on the outskirts of Hoshap sub-tehsil of Kech on Wednesday. The abducted individuals have been identified as Nazir Ahmed, Muhammad Tariq, Safdar Ali, Farooq, and Hasnain.
According to sources, the victims were engaged in the installation of a new tower for the state-run telecom company Ufone. The local administration, responding to the situation, dispatched a team of Levies forces to the area under the instructions of Deputy Commissioner Kech. However, as of now, there have been no further updates on the condition or whereabouts of the abductees.
In a separate incident, two individuals were reportedly detained by Pakistani forces in the Jhal Magsi area of Balochistan and subsequently taken to an undisclosed location. The individuals identified as Akbar Khan and Jamil Ahmed were allegedly picked up by the security forces. Akbar Khan had previously been detained along with his brother Yusuf, who was later killed by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in what was claimed to be a fake encounter in Dera Murad Jamali.
Akbar Khan, who had been released earlier, is now reported to have been forcibly disappeared again. According to local reports, Akbar was released by Pakistani forces in a handicapped condition, with paralyzed legs. His family expressed concern over his recent abduction and called on human rights organizations for his safe recovery.
Protests against enforced disappearances have persisted for decades in Balochistan. The Baloch Yakjetti Committee has been staging a sit-in in Islamabad for the past two months, concluding recently and heading to Quetta.