Quetta [Balochistan], April 23 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that he would take up the issue of Baloch missing persons with the "powerful quarters" as over 22,600 people have been missing from the country especially in Balochistan province.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Quetta-Karachi highway after arriving on his maiden visit to Balochistan earlier today, the Prime Minister said: "I want to see laptops in the hands of Baloch students rather than weapons."

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He also chaired a high-level meeting on law and order situation in the provincial capital, according to The Express Tribune.

The issue of enforced disappearances has plagued Pakistan, especially the Balochistan province and according to official data out of 22,600 cases of enforced disappearances, 348 names are from the Kohlu district of the province.

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There have been several protests across the world to highlight extra-judicial abductions and enforced disappearances by Pakistan's security agencies, especially by the spy agency ISI Inter-services Intelligence that is still continuing in Balochistan for over two decades.

The cases of enforced disappearances are normal in Pakistan's Balochistan, as 348 people are reportedly missing from the Kohlu district of the province, according to official data.

A list of enforced disappearances having 348 names was issued by Deputy Commissioner Kohlu district in Pakistan's Balochistan province, according to reports.

The list reportedly contained 22,600 names of the people who disappeared from Balochistan.

During the inaugural ceremony today, Shahbaz further added that his government has planned a number of development schemes to bring Balochistan at par with other parts of the country.

Balochistan belongs to Balochs, Pashtuns and other ethnic groups and covers half of the country in terms of area. "We want to address the grievances of the masses here," he said, as per The Express Tribune. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)