Fact-check: Punjab and Sindh do not have more cases of enforced disappearances than Balochistan

Messages shared on WhatsApp in Pakistan and on social media claim that official data shows Punjab and Sindh have a higher number of cases of enforced disappearances than Balochistan.

The claim is false.

Claim

The online posts suggest that the number of victims of enforced disappearances in Balochistan is lower, arguing that since Punjab and Sindh are larger provinces, they report more cases of missing persons. The posts also allege that a total of 2,911 cases have been taken up by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances from Balochistan, of which 2,459 have been resolved.

The claim has also been repeated by Pakistani officials.

Fact

Official records from the Pakistani government’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances contradict these claims. The data shows that Balochistan has more reported cases of enforced disappearances than Punjab and Sindh.

According to the Commission, at least 2,708 people were reported missing in Balochistan from 2011, when the body was created, until August 31, 2025.

Farid Ahmed Khan, the Commission’s secretary, shared with Geo Fact Check the data that from March 2011 to August 2025, the Commission received 10,618 cases of enforced disappearance. Of these, 2,888 were from Balochistan, compared to 1,852 from Sindh and 1,761 from Punjab.

This demonstrates that even in official data, which human rights organisations often criticise for underreporting, Balochistan has significantly more cases than Punjab and Sindh.

Complaints of enforced disappearances recorded by Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances as of August 2025.

Verdict: Official records confirm that Balochistan has more reported cases of enforced disappearances than Punjab and Sindh, contrary to the viral claim.

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