The caravan included several cars with thousands of participants from Buleda, while many others joined from Turbat city. What pushed them to leave the little comfort they had in their homes to join such rallies were human rights violations, including enforced disappearances. The same was true for this protest.

After successful negotiations with the district administration, the protest ended with an ultimatum of three days to release the illegally detained youth. By Eid on June 17, a few of the detainees were released; however, many of them remain behind bars illegally. In response, the families reestablished their sit-in at Shaheed Fida Chowk on Eid day. Four days later, they went to negotiate with the Deputy Commissioner of Kech at his house, but the negotiations failed as the DC remarked that the issue was “out of his hands” but he would try to “sort it out” with the institutions involved in enforced disappearances. The families then moved their sit-in from the central chowk to the DC office. For the last few days, the DC office has been shut down in protest, but that seems to matter little to the administration.

This situation clearly portrays the enforced disappearances in Balochistan and the helplessness of civil institutions in preventing what they themselves acknowledge as “illegal.” It raises a significant question about the administration: when they know things are out of their hands, instead of investing hours in negotiations with the families, why don’t they facilitate direct discussions between the families and the institutions responsible for the abductions?

For the last couple of years in particular, Balochistan has become a hub of protests. Every other week, a main road is blocked. Women’s sit-ins, backed by men, have become a trend as men are usually abducted by LEAs. Sometimes, a local body officer is sent for negotiations, mostly resulting in failure because both the families and the administrators know the issue is beyond the district administration’s control.

As the protest continues for more days, the number of families involved increases. Enforced disappearances are also on the rise, while other families, who were subjected to threats not to protest, find it the only way to get their sons released from illegal detention. Despite all the protests and shouting, enforced disappearances have never been curbed, nor are the institutions willing to resolve the issue peacefully.

On June 23, another Baloch student, Bahadur Bashir, was taken into illegal custody by armed men belonging to LEAs early in the morning around 6:57. While speaking on social media, the family members said that Bahadur was a student at Karachi University who had come home for Eid vacations. They blocked the Karachi-Makran route from Pasni the next day on June 24 and said they would not open the route until the young KU student is released. Had enforced disappearances been a priority for state institutions to end, Balochistan would be very different from what it is today. It is one of the major factors instilling in the youth a sense of deprivation from the state system.

Enforced disappearances are a very serious issue in Balochistan, particularly for the youth. But the only means to end enforced disappearances in Balochistan so far have been protesting sit-ins and blocking main roads. This has not proven very beneficial for the masses on a permanent basis, other than merely releasing a few and abducting several in return. There ought to be more ways to stop the enforced disappearances, and greater public involvement is mandatory. Because no one is safe.

The writer is a lawyer and journalist based in Turbat. He tweets on X as @Alijanmaqsood12. He can be reached at alijanmaqsood17@gmail.com.

The views expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Daily Balochistan Express, and all facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer.