A Baloch youth has been reported missing from the Boat Basin area and his family suspects the hand of intelligence agencies behind his disappearance. Asif Rind, son of Mohammad Yousuf, had gone to a food outlet at Boat Basin on May 28, from where he was picked up by some unidentified men in a jeep and has been missing since, the family claimed. Originally hailing from the Turbat district of Balochistan, 29-year-old Asif was staying in Karachi with one of his cousins, Jaleel Baloch.
“He went to a food outlet at Boat Basin along with a friend. After they had ordered food, a Suzuki jeep appeared on the scene and took him away,” said Jaleel. Asif’s father insists that he is in intelligence agencies’ custody. “Four days ago, [Asif] had called from his cell phone and told me not to tell the media about his abduction or he would be killed. He was crying. I know for sure he is with the intelligence agencies.”
Asif’s uncle, Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, a key figure of Baloch nationalist politics, was assassinated in 2009. Asif’s family has approached the HRCP to take up the case at the SC by including his name in the petition on missing persons. “If my brother has done anything unlawful, he should be produced before the court. He is just a contractor and has no political connections despite being the nephew of Ghulam Mohammad,” decried Asif’s younger sister.