QUETTA: Four men who had been missing for the past few months were released by their captors and according to some sources, reached their home on Saturday night. Unconfirmed reports, however, put the number of freed men at 10.

“We have information about the release of 10 missing persons, but the officials concerned have not shared the report in this regard,” an official of the Balochistan government told Dawn.

Nasrullah Baloch, a spokesman for The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, told reporters that intelligence officials had taken away the four persons, all of whom hailed from Makran division. One of them had been missing for the past one year while the three others disappeared last month.

“Yes, I confirm the release of four missing persons,” Nasrullah Baloch said, adding that they had reached their homes.

Mr Baloch identified the freed persons as Mohammad, son of Haji Gul Jan, a resident of Mand of Kech district; Mohammad Haneef Baloch, a resident of Mand; Majid Baloch of Buleda and Ali Johar alias Baba Boheer, of Pasni.

Ali Johar was arrested along with Ilyas Nazar, a leader of the Baloch Students Organisation, whose bullet-riddled body was found in Murgha, near Turbat, last year.

He called for legal action against all those who were responsible for the disappearance of “hundreds of Baloch”.

Nasrullah Baloch appealed to international human rights organisations to speak up against alleged human right violations in Balochistan.