The road to resolution may be long and arduous, but the glimmer of hope within the Baloch people, the unwavering voices of dissent, and the echo of judicial pronouncements, however faint, offer a glimmer of solace, a promise that even in the deepest darkness, the flame of humanity will continue to flicker, a beacon leading towards a future where enforced disappearances remain a chilling relic of the past. Question is why Balochistan bleeds with a silent wound, instead of shying away, stands accused of weaving enforced disappearances into the fabric of its governance. This horrifying truth isn’t hidden:

commissions acknowledge it, reports document it, and even intelligence leaks whisper it. Yet, with brazen audacity, the state continues its macabre waltz with disappearances, each family’s shattered life a morbid trophy in its perverse collection. But amidst the deafening silence, voices rise. Mama Qadeer, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sammi Baloch these warrior women, along with countless others, lead the charge against this unconscionable injustice. Their courage ignites a flicker of hope within the Baloch soul, a defiant refusal to submit to the tyranny of erasure. On the legal front, a chorus of judicial voices echoes the gravity of this travesty. From Chief Justices Chaudhry and Khawaja to Justices Minallah and Kayani, the legal system, though often overshadowed by the sword, has spoken.

But pronouncements without justice are mere whispers in the wind, offering fleeting solace but no concrete redress. Yet, hope, however fragile, lingers. Unlike past insurgencies, the present movement draws strength from the urban fabric, weaving together youth, middle class, and most importantly, Baloch women. This is a nationalism rooted in the very marrow of Baloch society, and one that cannot be simply stifled by enforced disappearances. Though, a chilling prospect looms. The ascent of a caretaker prime minister who dismisses democracy as irrelevant to the Baloch question paints a grim picture. When the ballot box is deemed ineffective, the barrel of the gun becomes the preferred tool of governance, further entrenching the cycle of suppression and alienation. The Commission, supposedly a beacon of hope, stands as a stark reminder of the state’s duplicity. With over 9,000 cases, 2,708 from Balochistan alone, and not a single perpetrator brought to justice, it reveals itself as a mere charade, a tool to legitimize the very injustice it was meant to address. This tragedy transcends the physical act of disappearance. It speaks to the state’s delusional belief in subjugating ethno-nationalism through brute force. It is a cruel game of chess where lives become pawns, sacrificed on the altar of a flawed ideology. In the face of this relentless state machinery, what remains? Perhaps Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poignant verses offer a glimpse. We may yearn for reconciliation, for civility to bridge the chasm, but the wounds inflicted run deep, the scars refusing to fade.