Amnesty International has strongly condemned Pakistan over the enforced disappearance of Baloch activist Jiand Baloch, highlighting the long-standing discrimination and marginalisation faced by the Baloch community.

The organisation issued a statement on its official website detailing the circumstances of Jiand’s disappearance and the broader pattern of repression in Balochistan.

Jiand Baloch, aged 29, is the chairperson of the Baloch Students Organization, a group that campaigns for student rights in Balochistan and has been vocal on the issue of enforced disappearances. He has worked closely with families of the disappeared, advocating for their return. He is also a father of two young children, a two-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

According to Amnesty International, Jiand was forcibly taken from his home in Quetta around 1 AM on 24 July 2026. His family reported that ten men identifying themselves as law enforcement officers, accompanied by four men in plain clothes, entered the house at midnight. Jiand was not present at the time, but his parents, wife and children were inside.

The men searched the house, causing damage, and physically assaulted Jiand’s father. They also threatened to take his wife and mother. When Jiand arrived at the gate of the house, he was immediately seized without explanation and taken away. No information was provided about his whereabouts, and the police refused to register a First Information Report.

Amnesty noted that Jiand has been targeted previously for his activism. His work with the BSO and his campaigns against enforced disappearances have made him a prominent voice in Balochistan. The organisation stressed that his abduction is part of a wider crackdown on Baloch activists that has intensified since 2025, with arbitrary detentions and disappearances spreading across the province and beyond.

The statement underlined that the Baloch people have historically faced systemic discrimination and marginalisation in Pakistan. Amnesty International emphasised that the disappearance of Jiand Baloch is not an isolated incident but reflects a disturbing pattern of state repression.

The organisation called for his immediate release and urged Pakistan to end its practice of enforced disappearances, which violate fundamental human rights and international law.

This case has drawn international attention, with rights groups warning that the continued targeting of activists in Balochistan risks further destabilising the province. Amnesty International’s intervention underscores the urgency of addressing the plight of the Baloch people and ensuring accountability for those responsible for such abuses.

ANI