Pakistan Army’s crackdown in Tump sparks protests as enforced disappearances rise in Balochistan

Pakistan Army helicopters have been flying over the Tump neighbourhood of the Kech district of Balochistan since Friday night, where four people have reportedly forcibly disappeared, The Balochistan Post reported.

Local sources claim as quoted by TBP, that after an attack on Pakistani forces between Tuesday and Wednesday night, Pakistani security forces arrested four individuals and moved them to an undisclosed location while the helicopters remained in the town’s sky.

TBP reported that the missing persons have been identified as Ibrahim, son of Ali, Farooq, son of Abdul Hameed, Ilyas, son of Abdul Hameed, and Faris, son of Muhammad Karim. They are all from Dazin, a town of Tump. Notably, Ilyas and Farooq had previously been released after being forcibly abducted.

Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of Pakistani forces is reportedly advancing in Tump while helicopters continue to operate in the area, according to a report by TBP.

Earlier, protests demanding an end to suspected enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the abduction of Baloch women took place in several Baloch cities.

According to The Balochistan Post, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) planned rallies around the area, while Baloch students in Islamabad and Uthal staged nonviolent protests. During shutter-down strikes, companies in Kalat, Mastung, and other cities remained closed in solidarity.

Protesters called on the UN and human rights organizations to intervene and punish Pakistani leaders accountable. The BYC planned a protest march in Quetta, which attracted the families of missing persons. Protesters held up images of their loved ones while shouting anti-enforced disappearance slogans and calling on international organizations to take notice.

According to a post by The Balochistan Post, BYC officials charged that the Pakistani government was oppressing Baloch intellectuals, students, and young people through enforced disappearances and targeted killings. On Sunday, residents, activists, and families of the missing assembled at Turbat’s Shaheed Fida Chowk for a three-day protest camp.