Fresh cases of alleged enforced disappearances have been reported from Pakistan's Balochistan province, adding to longstanding concerns over missing persons as families continue to demand information about relatives whose whereabouts remain unknown.
According to reports cited by The Balochistan Post, a 16-year-old student, Agha Gul, and 27-year-old Hafeezullah Baloch were allegedly taken from Quetta in separate incidents. Farmer Rafiq Baloch and labourer Shakir Baloch were also reportedly detained during a late-night operation in Awaran district.
Family members have alleged the involvement of Pakistani security and intelligence personnel in the disappearances. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Two return home
Shakir Baloch and his wife, Gul Banuk, who had also been reported missing, returned on August 24. However, the whereabouts of others allegedly detained in recent incidents remain a source of concern for their families.
The latest cases have renewed attention on enforced disappearances in Balochistan, where students, political activists, labourers and other residents have figured among those reported missing over the years.
Families and rights organisations have repeatedly sought investigations into such cases and demanded that those in custody be produced before courts.
Separately, relatives of two men who reportedly disappeared more than 13 years ago have renewed their appeals for information about their whereabouts.
The families said years of uncertainty had taken a heavy emotional toll and called on authorities to either release their relatives or produce them before a court if they face allegations of wrongdoing.
Long-running protests
Families of missing persons have held demonstrations and sit-ins in Balochistan for years, with the protest camp outside the Quetta Press Club becoming one of the most enduring symbols of the campaign over disappearances.
Rights organisations have also continued to document new cases. The Human Rights Council of Balochistan said it recorded 63 alleged enforced disappearances in June 2026 after documenting 95 cases in May. These figures are claims by the rights group and have not been independently verified.
The issue has previously attracted international scrutiny. Human Rights Watch has called on Pakistani authorities to address allegations of enforced disappearances and ensure accountability, while United Nations experts have also raised concerns over unresolved cases in the country.
Pakistan has faced a decades-long insurgency in Balochistan, with separatist militant organisations carrying out attacks on security personnel, civilians and infrastructure. Security operations against militant groups have continued across the province.
Rights groups and families, however, argue that counter-insurgency operations cannot justify secret or unacknowledged detention and have demanded that anyone accused of an offence be dealt with through established legal procedures.
The latest reported disappearances have again brought those demands to the fore, with families seeking answers over both recent cases and people who have remained missing for years.