Baloch Youth Vanishes Following Coerced Deportation From Bahrain

Amid rising reports of enforced disappearances and abuse in Balochistan by Pakistani forces, a young Baloch man has reportedly gone missing after being forcibly deported from Bahrain, according to The Balochistan Post.

Asad Baloch, a resident of Mand Kanik, was detained by Bahraini authorities on August 28 without clear charges or explanations, sparking legal concerns about his detention. Following his deportation, Baloch was flown from Bahrain to Karachi via the UAE and arrived at Karachi airport on August 29. However, he was allegedly abducted by Pakistani authorities upon arrival, and his current location is unknown.

Asad’s family is demanding his immediate release, stressing that if he is suspected of any crime, he should be formally presented in court. The situation draws parallels to a 2018 case where Rashid Hussain, detained in the UAE and later deported to Pakistan, also disappeared. The trend of Baloch individuals being deported from Gulf nations to Pakistan and going missing has raised significant concerns, The Balochistan Post reported.

Similarly, in 2022, businessman Hafeez Baloch was detained by UAE security forces and deported to Pakistan, where he also went missing. After more than five months, Hafeez was found in a Karachi jail and later acquitted of all charges due to insufficient evidence.

The Balochistan Post had earlier reported in August on ongoing enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the region. The report revealed that while nine individuals were released, six bodies were found. This issue persists, particularly in districts like Kech, Quetta, and Panjgur, with Kech reporting the highest number of incidents (14 cases), followed by Quetta with seven. The crisis has continued for over twenty years, affecting students, activists, journalists, and politicians, causing severe distress among families, especially women and the elderly, who suffer greatly over the fate of their missing relatives.