Baloch rights activist raises alarm over disappearances and violence against students

Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch has voiced serious concerns regarding the alarming rise in enforced disappearances and violence against Baloch students in both Balochistan and Punjab, Pakistan.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Baloch stated, “The rapid increase of enforced disappearances of Baloch students in different areas of Balochistan and educational institutions of Punjab is alarming.”

She continued, “Yesterday, Hamid Baloch S/O Khan Muhammad, resident of Buleda Kech and a student in the 7th semester at the Department of Sociology, University of Sargodha, was forcibly made to disappear (an enforced disappearance) by state secret agencies from Bahadur Shah Zafar Road in front of Ibrahim Hospital, Sargodha, Punjab. Till now, he has neither been presented in any court or police station nor has his family been informed about his location.”

Hamid, a 7th-semester sociology student at the University of Sargodha, was taken from Bahadur Shah Zafar Road in front of Ibrahim Hospital in Sargodha, Punjab. Baloch noted that, “Till now, he has neither been presented in any court or police station, nor has his family been informed about his location.”

The Balochistan Post reported that Hamid’s family and classmates are calling for his immediate release, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

On Monday, tensions escalated at Punjab University when Baloch students were allegedly attacked by members of Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing. Reports indicate that at least five Baloch students were injured in the incident, with some accounts suggesting that firearms were involved.

Two students sustained severe injuries, leading the Baloch Students Council Lahore to report that police arrested over 20 Baloch students following the altercation.

Baloch students have expressed concerns over regular discrimination and violence they face in educational institutions across Punjab, claiming they are often racially profiled and targeted.

Mahrang Baloch further emphasized the significant increase in violence against Baloch students in Punjab’s educational institutions.

She recounted the attack on Baloch students at the University of Punjab and criticized the university administration and police for failing to protect them, stating that instead of providing safety, authorities harassed the students, resulting in the detention of approximately ten students who remain in police custody.

Baloch concluded by urging immediate action to halt the forced disappearances of Baloch students and the violence perpetrated against them.