In the first six months of 2024, according to a report released by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances earlier this month, 197 missing persons’ cases were reported, mostly from Balochistan.
The unceasing practice of such extrajudicial abductions has triggered multiple protests, mostly led by women, who are seeking the recovery of their husbands, brothers or fathers, as they are left in a perpetual state of uncertainty over whether their missing loved ones are even still alive. Unfortunately, these protests are not looked on kindly by the state, which often resorts to heavy-handed tactics to curtail them, further boosting their sense of deprivation. This recalls a U.N. report that found incidents of political violence targeting women increased by 50% in conflict-ridden countries between 2020 and 2022. Outside of Balochistan, however, these protests make little impact, with the country’s “mainstream” displaying little disturbance over what is happening.
In their pursuit of justice for their relatives, many Baloch women have lost their identities and are known by the relation they have to their missing family members. Nonetheless, they are proving their courage, especially over the past year, as they have repeatedly spoken out against inequality, repression, and oppression. They aren’t alone; similar women-led movements have sprouted in neighboring Iran and Afghanistan, where resistance to authoritarianism, tyranny, and religious orthodoxy is on the rise.
The world is also taking notice. Earlier this year, Baloch rights leader Mahrang Baloch addressed the U.N. Human Rights Council and urged the global community to take a stand for Balochistan. Meanwhile, at home, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee is staging sit-ins and public gatherings of thousands to protest the government’s rights abuses and advance demands of respect for their fundamental rights. Thus far, their voices have met little favor in Islamabad, despite basic demands seeking an end to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and accountability of those involved in such incidents. A Pakistan struggling to rein in terror can ill-afford to ignore them.