Baloch Women Forum condemns abduction of 24-year-old student

The Baloch Women Forum (BWF) has strongly condemned the reported enforced disappearance of Mahjabeen Baloch, a 24-year-old student from Basima, who was allegedly taken by security forces from Civil Hospital Quetta on Wednesday, as per a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP), reported the ANI.

According to the BWF, Mahjabeen, who studies Library Science at the University of Balochistan, was abducted around 3 a.m. by personnel from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Military Intelligence (MI), stated by TBP, according to the ANI.

Meanwhile, the forum described the incident as part of a troubling pattern in which Baloch women are increasingly being targeted by state entities. "Baloch women, like their male counterparts, face constant danger from state agencies," the BWF said in an official statement, the news agency reported.

The BWF further stated, "The forced disappearance of Mahjabeen Baloch signifies a worrisome escalation in the ongoing human rights abuses in Balochistan," as reported by TBP, according to the ANI.

Enforced disappearances have long been an issue in the region, with men, children, and elderly individuals frequently reported missing under similar circumstances.

However, the forum pointed out that targeting women in such actions marks a deeply disturbing development that violates national cultural customs and traditions, the TBP report emphasised, as per the ANI.

"This is not just an infringement on individual rights but also a direct insult to the honour and dignity of the Baloch community," the BWF continued, calling on the state to stop what it termed the "excessive use of force," the ANI reported.

Meanwhile, the forum highlighted earlier incidents in which activists, particularly those affiliated with the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), were reportedly detained without due process and later presented in police custody under preventive detention laws such as the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), as stated in the TBP report.

Calling for national and international awareness, the BWF demanded the immediate and safe release of Mahjabeen Baloch and accountability for those responsible for her disappearance. "We call on the international community to shed light on the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan," the statement declared. "We urge the public to oppose this escalating brutality and ensure that state institutions are held accountable," quoted the TBP report, according to the ANI.

(With inputs from ANI)