It has been a long-lasting and crucial matter, happening for decades across the country, but reportedly the number of enforced disappearances is higher in Balochistan than in the rest of the country. However, the situation reached its peak last night, on 12 September 2024, when two practicing lawyers of the Balochistan Bar, Salahuddin Mengal and Fida Baloch, were abducted by law enforcement agencies. According to one of the most senior lawyers, Khalid Ahmed Kubdani, Advocate of the Supreme Court, at about 11:45 pm, Salahuddin Mengal was illegally picked up from Goli Mar Chowk on Brewery Road, Quetta, and Fida Baloch was picked up from his uncle’s house, who served in the judiciary as a Sessions Judge.
This shows that the state’s policies in Balochistan have not changed; neither has history taught these institutions any lessons, nor are they ready to reconsider their “kill and throw” policy. The escalation in enforced disappearances has increased after the recent attacks by insurgents. Moreover, the resignation of Akhtar Mengal from the national assembly has decreased trust in the system and democracy, and the abduction of practicing lawyers has left no room of hope for the people of Balochistan, especially the Balochs.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” So, now It has been proved that even the legal fraternity is not safe in Balochistan. This raises the question: if a lawyer is not safe in this system, how can an advocate convince any layman to believe in the law when lawyers themselves are not safe ? After the abduction of the two practicing lawyers, a common man texted me on WhatsApp and asked, “Where is your law and court? You were constantly preaching to the people of Balochistan to believe in the legal system and judiciary, and now your own community is affected, and you can do nothing for them.” This was really a shocking message for me. How can I convince him of our legal and judicial system when lawyers themselves are not safe?
Enforced disappearances are increasing in Balochistan with each passing day and neither the authorities nor politicians are taking it seriously. Political parties are not ready to resolve this issue through political ways. In conclusion, I want to say that the burning Balochistan needs an active political interference, and there must be an all-parties conference on the issue of enforced disappearances and try to resolve it through dialogues in a peaceful manner.
