QUETTA: The Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) has said that despite 16 years of protests, sit-ins and rallies, the issue of enforced disappearances of political workers, students and other residents of Balochistan remains unresolved.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, VBMP president Nasrullah Baloch urged the state and its institutions to realize that use of force, extrajudicial killings and disappearances of Baloch citizens would not improve the situation in the province.
Instead, he called for a serious political approach to address Balochistan’s long-standing grievances.
Flanked by relatives of the missing, including VBMP general secretary Hooran Baloch and activist Ghani Baloch, he said the organisation’s protest camp in front of the Quetta Press Club had already completed 6,000 days.
“This camp has also been established in various parts of Balochistan as well as in Karachi and Islamabad. It is seen throughout Pakistan and the world as a symbol of peaceful resistance,” he said.
Use of force cannot bring peace to Balochistan, warns Nasrullah Baloch
He said that for the past 16 years, the organization had organized protests, seminars and long marches from Quetta to Islamabad, both on foot and by train.
Nasrullah Baloch said the VBMP had registered cases of enforced disappearances with the judiciary, commissions of inquiry and the federal and provincial governments, and had submitted evidence to relevant authorities despite “serious difficulties and hardships”.
“False cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act were filed against me, General Secretary Hooran Baloch, Vice President Mama Qadeer Baloch and others. We faced arrest and torture, but we did not give up our fight,” Nasrullah Baloch said.
He claimed that two VBMP district coordinators were extrajudicially killed during the movement, but the campaign continued.
Families of missing persons, he said, submit full details of their loved ones to the VBMP, which then forwards the cases to the Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances and the provincial government.
“The commission initiates legal proceedings within a week and sends notifications to relevant institutions. We also guide victims’ families about the legal requirements,” he said.
Drawing on years of experience, he urged the State to understand that peace in Balochistan cannot be restored by force.
“Thousands of Baloch have been forcibly disappeared and thousands have been killed extrajudicially, but the situation continues to deteriorate. We call on the State to refrain from using force in Balochistan. The issue is political and must be resolved through political dialogue,” he stressed.
He also demanded that all citizens be treated according to the law, that missing persons be recovered, that accused be brought to court, and that extrajudicial arrests and executions be put to an end.
He called for legislation “in line with human dignity and constitutional principles” to address enforced disappearances.
Nasrullah Baloch also urged the families of the missing persons not to remain silent. “Submit yourselves with complete information about your loved ones,” he appealed.
Published in Dawn, November 17, 2025
