Rights groups condemn abduction of Sindhi student leader in Karachi

Amnesty International, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and multiple student and rights organisations have denounced the alleged enforced disappearance of Ghani Aman Chandio, the central chief organiser of the Sindh National Students Federation (SNSF), who was reportedly abducted from a Karachi hospital. The incident took place at Memona Hospital on Shahrah-e-Quaideen, where Chandio had brought his infant daughter for medical care, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

According to The Balochistan Post, a group of armed men in civilian clothes, allegedly accompanied by Rangers personnel, stormed the hospital, seized mobile phones, destroyed CCTV recordings, and blindfolded Chandio before dragging him away in front of his family. The abduction has sparked outrage among rights defenders across Sindh and beyond. Amnesty International condemned the abduction as "deeply distressing," terming it "a flagrant violation of basic human rights and due process." The organisation said that the act of abducting a father attending to his sick child "reveals the extent of impunity and cruelty" within Pakistan's law enforcement apparatus.

Amnesty noted that Chandio had previously been accused of raising "anti-state" slogans and had recently delivered a lecture on student politics. The HRCP echoed similar concerns, saying Chandio's disappearance "fits a long-standing pattern of state intimidation and suppression of dissent." The commission urged authorities to disclose his whereabouts and hold those responsible accountable.

Meanwhile, the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO) said that Pakistan's security agencies continue to use "unconstitutional methods" to silence peaceful activists. "The state's fear of growing resistance movements is driving it toward more repression," as cited by The Balochistan Post. Protests have erupted in Karachi, Jamshoro, and abroad, led by rights groups such as the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) and the World Sindhi Congress (WSC), demanding Chandio's safe release and an end to enforced disappearances in Sindh.

Despite mounting condemnation, Pakistani authorities have remained silent on Chandio's fate, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)