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Human rights activists have raised alarm over enforced disappearances of Baloch women in Balochistan, warning that the practice marks a dangerous escalation in Pakistan’s ongoing human rights crisis.
Human rights activists have sounded the alarm over a disturbing escalation in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, warning that Baloch women and girls are now being forcibly disappeared in what campaigners describe as collective punishment and a serious crime under international law.
The warning comes from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which says enforced disappearances in Balochistan have crossed a “dangerous line”, with women increasingly taken from their homes, hospitals and public spaces without warrants, charges or any legal accountability.
The group says this marks a new phase of repression in a region already scarred by decades of enforced disappearances.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee shared the warning in a post on social media, calling on the international community to act.
In the post, BYC said Baloch women are being targeted deliberately to terrorise families and silence peaceful activism, describing the practice as collective punishment under international law.
Six women and girls reportedly disappeared since May
According to activists, at least six women and girls have been forcibly disappeared across Hub Chowki, Khuzdar, Dalbandin and Hub since May 2025, often in front of family members and eyewitnesses.
The reported victims include students, mothers, homemakers and even a minor.
Those named by campaigners include:
- Mahjabeen Baloch, a university student and polio survivor, disappeared in May 2025
- Nasreena Baloch (15), disappeared from Hub Chowki on 22 November 2025
- Farzana Zehri, disappeared while returning from a hospital in Khuzdar on 1 December 2025
- Rahima Baloch, disappeared from Dalbandin on 9 December 2025
- Hazra Baloch, disappeared from Hub on 18 December 2025 and released after two days
- Hani Dilwash and Hair-Nisa, disappeared on 20 December 2025
Campaigners say the targeting of women represents a major escalation, as enforced disappearances in Balochistan have historically focused on men.
‘No home is safe’
Human rights defenders say the new wave of disappearances has created widespread fear.
“This clampdown affects ordinary women, students, mothers and activists,” BYC said. “Fear itself has become a weapon.”
Activists warn that families are being traumatised, children are left without mothers, and the rule of law is being replaced by unchecked state power.
Demands for international action
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee is calling for urgent global intervention, including:
- The immediate and safe release of all forcibly disappeared women and girls
- An independent UN investigation into enforced disappearances in Balochistan
- Accountability for those responsible, including security and intelligence agencies
- The repeal of the Balochistan 2025 Anti-Terrorism Amendment Act, which activists say is being misused to allow secret 90-day detentions
Campaigners argue the disappearance of women is not only a legal violation, but a calculated attempt to break the social fabric of Baloch society.
Petition: Call to stop enforced disappearances of Baloch women
Human rights activists and supporters have launched an international petition urging immediate action to stop the enforced disappearances of Baloch women and girls.
👉 https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-enforced-disappearances-of-baloch-women
“Remaining silent while girls like Nasreena and students like Mahjabeen disappear sends a dangerous message,” the petition states. “Silence will normalise these crimes.”
