Deen Muhammad Baloch was a government employee in

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastl ...

who has been missing since 2009. He was also a political activist and a close associate of Chairman

Ghulam Mohammed Baloch __NOTOC__ Ghulam Mohammed Baloch (Balochi: غلام محمد بلوچ) was a Baloch nationalist politician. At the time of his assassination in 2009, he was serving as the president of the Baloch National Movement, as well as the General Secret ...

in the revival of non-parliamentary and libertarian politics. He was associated with the struggle for the national rights of Baloch.

Disappearance

On the night of 28 June 2009, Deen Muhammad was

forcibly disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiz ...

from the hospital while on duty in Ornach,

Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan provin ...

area. His family has tried to recover him by demanding from the judiciary,

Pakistan's parliament The Parliament of Pakistan ( ur, , , "Pakistan Advisory Council" or "Pakistan Consultative Assembly") is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a bicameral federal legislature that consists of the Senate as the upper ...

, political parties and human rights organizations.

Family's struggle

His daughter Sammi Deen Baloch has been at the forefront of his recovery struggle. She has spent much of her time on the streets, in front of journalists' press clubs across Pakistan - photograph in hand, asking the question: "Where is my father? What is his crime?"

Protests and advocacy

The families of missing persons from Balochistan, including the family of Deen Muhammad Baloch, have held protests in different cities. They have demanded an end to enforced disappearances, the release of all Baloch missing persons and an investigation into the alleged

fake encounter Encounter killing is a term used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka since the late 20th century to describe extrajudicial killings by the police or the armed forces, supposedly in self-defence, when they encounter suspected gangsters or ...

Legal actions

Senior politician and lawyer

Aitzaz Ahsan Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan ( ur, ; born 27 September 1945) is a Pakistani politician and lawyer. He served two times as the Leader of the House in the Senate of Pakistan from 1994 to 1997 and again from 2012 to 2015. He also served as the Leader o ...

filed a petition in the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

against the practice of

enforced disappearances An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...

. The petition highlighted the case of Deen Muhammad Baloch and disputed the figures stated by caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar that there are 50 missing persons in Balochistan.

Government response

The government has assured that it is committed to reduce the number of cases of missing persons in the future and get rid of the scourge.

References

{{reflist Missing person cases in Pakistan Human rights abuses in Pakistan Balochistan Pakistani activists Political activists