Body of Missing Baloch Activist Found; Family’s Tragic History Sparks Outcry

A wave of outrage and sorrow swept over Pakistan-administered Balochistan following the discovery of the body of young activist Zeeshan Ahmed, whose abduction a day earlier drew widespread protests. His killing has again exposed the dark trend of enforced disappearance in the conflict-torn province.

Zeeshan had campaigned for years for justice and the safe return of his father, Zaheer Ahmed, who was kidnapped in 2015 by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps. Zeeshan was 11 and his sister just 40 days old when his father went missing.

Abduction After Football Match

Zeeshan was last spotted on the night of June 29, shortly after he played a football match, Zeeshan’s last appearance was on the night of June 29, just after he played a football game, said the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.
>”He was walking towards home when two vehicles belonging to the state-backed death squad intercepted him,” the Committee said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses reported Zeeshan was beaten, had his hands tied up, and was pushed into one of the vehicles. As a reaction, his family members and local residents immediately blocked the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) road in Panjgur and initiated a sit-in protest calling for his safe return.

Body with Evidence of Brutality

Protesters found Zeeshan’s body with evidence of brutality the next morning dumped in the same district. Activists reported gruesome injuries.

The body had signs of torture, bruises from sticks and blunt instrument, six bullets to the chest, and knife wounds deep,” the Baloch Yakjehti Committee declared.

The find has caused outrage across the country, particularly in Baloch civil society and human rights society.

Worsening Disappearance Crisis in Balochistan

Zeeshan’s murder is one of a grim pattern in Balochistan. At least 8,463 instances of enforced disappearance were reported between 2011 and 2024, reports Human Rights Watch.

The Pakistan Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances had documented 10,078 instances in the year 2024 alone, highlighting the magnitude of the crisis.

Pakistani human rights organisations and civil society organisations have long accused Pakistani security agencies of conducting extrajudicial killings and abductions in the province in the name of national security.

Zeeshan Ahmed’s killing — as was that of his father — is a destroyed family and an angry community. His tragic death renewed demands for justice and accountability in a province amidst an atmosphere of silence, fear, and impunity.