EVERY year, 30 August is observed globally as International Day of the Disappeared, meant to highlight the plight of individuals who vanish under mysterious or coercive circumstances.
In Pakistan, however, this day has repeatedly been exploited by terrorists, anti-state elements and militants. They manipulate the narrative of “missing persons” to malign the state and its security institutions, portraying those who join or are coerced into militancy as innocent victims. The chief propagandist of this narrative remains Mahrang Baloch and her organization, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). The duplicity is evident in numerous cases. Noor Zaman Baloch and Nadeem, killed during the Jaffer Express attack, were listed by BYC as “missing.” Hamal Fateh Baloch, the attacker at Gwadar Pearl Continental Hotel and Karim Jan Baloch, admitted by his own family to be affiliated with militant groups, were similarly portrayed as disappeared. Jehanzeb Mengal, alias Balach, active in insurgency for two years in Noshki, was killed during an operation on 27 March but immediately classified as missing to generate hysteria.
In August 2024, Tayyab Baloch, alias Lala, neutralized during the Lasbela operation, was falsely registered as “forcibly disappeared” by BYC and Mamma Qadeer. Kamran Baloch, claimed abducted from Mashkay, was later declared a fighter by the Baloch Liberation Front, exposing the contradiction between social media propaganda and militant admissions. Eid Muhammad, alias Shikari, a senior commander and Engineer Zaheer Baloch, falsely reported killed in a “fake encounter,” also illustrate the systematic deception. Zaheer resurfaced months later in Iran, confirming his survival and exposing the manipulation. Other notable cases include Abdul Malik Baloch, killed in internal militant conflict but listed as missing and Abdul Wadood Satakzai and Imtiaz Ahmed, paraded as innocent civilians despite involvement in militant camps. Recent arrests, including Muhammad Usman Qazi and the confessional testimonies of Gulzar Imam Shambay, Sarfraz Bangulzai, Najeebullah and Abdul Rasheed, confirm that such “missing” claims often serve as propaganda for India-backed anti-state elements.
Pakistan’s official records, maintained by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, show 10,311 cases nationwide. Of these, 8,042 (78%) have been resolved, leaving 2,269 pending. In Balochistan, 2,798 cases were reported, with 2,362 (84%) resolved and only 436 under review. Many pending cases involve personal disputes, ransom abductions, mental health issues or individuals residing abroad. Significantly, a large proportion is later discovered in militant training camps across Afghanistan and Iran, as evidenced by Pakistan’s cross-border operation on 18 January 2024 targeting such hideouts.
Globally, the scale of disappearances dwarfs Pakistan’s numbers. According to the World Population Review (2021–22), the United States reported 521,705 missing persons in 2022. India loses 88 individuals every hour, totaling 2,130 daily and 64,851 monthly. The United Kingdom recorded 180,000 annual cases, with actual files reaching 353,000, mostly involving children. Mexico acknowledged nearly 200,000 disappearances. Colombia, historically the “Kidnapping Capital of the World,” and Nigeria, where disappearances are linked to organized crime, face even graver situations. Despite these staggering numbers, global media disproportionately highlight Pakistan while largely ignoring the scale of disappearances elsewhere. This stark reality shows that the so-called “missing persons” issue in Pakistan is weaponized by militants for political and propaganda purposes. The cases of Noor Zaman Baloch, Nadeem, Hamal Fateh Baloch, Karim Jan Baloch, Jehanzeb Mengal, Tayyab Baloch, Kamran Baloch, Eid Muhammad, Zaheer Baloch, Abdul Malik Baloch, Abdul Wadood Satakzai, Imtiaz Ahmed, Muhammad Usman Qazi, Gulzar Imam Shambay, Sarfraz Bangulzai, Najeebullah and Abdul Rasheed reveal a systematic pattern: militants and anti-state elements are projected as victims to manipulate public sentiment.
The evidence also confirms the involvement of foreign state-sponsored interference. Pakistan’s security institutions have repeatedly shown that India’s intelligence agency, RAW, provides financial, training and media support to anti-state elements. The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer inside Pakistan, underscores the extent of this state-sponsored terrorism. The vulnerable youth are lured or coerced into militancy and later exploited for propaganda when they vanish or perish in operations. In conclusion, Pakistan’s “missing persons” narrative is often a wolf in sheep’s clothing — a political instrument misrepresenting militancy as victimhood. With 78% of cases resolved nationwide and numerous militants exposed as “missing” in propaganda campaigns, the evidence is clear. For the Baloch populace, the lesson is decisive: the grievances of the people are being hijacked, their sacrifices weaponized and propaganda perpetuated by anti-state elements with foreign backing. The writing is on the wall. Awareness is growing and the people of Balochistan are beginning to reclaim their agency, rejecting the false narrative and consigning these manipulations to history.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
