Urgent Appeal Concerning the Whereabouts of Sayed Qasim Hashemi and Hamed Ehsas
Addressed to: The United Nations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), UNICEF, and other international and human rights organizations

We, the undersigned, respectfully call upon the United Nations, international human rights organizations, and the global community to urgently address the serious concerns surrounding the disappearance of Sayed Qasim Hashemi, an Afghan journalist and cultural activist, and Hamed Ehsas, an Afghan filmmaker and media activist, who have been missing in Islamabad, Pakistan, since 4 July 2026.

We urge these institutions to call upon the Government of Pakistan to provide clear answers and conduct an effective investigation into their disappearance.

The primary purpose of this appeal is to mobilize human rights and diplomatic efforts to establish the location, condition, and fate of these two individuals and to ensure their safe return to their families.

Brief Account of the Incident
According to information provided by their families, Sayed Qasim Hashemi and Hamed Ehsas were together in Islamabad on the evening of 4 July 2026. They left their place of residence and remained in contact with their families that evening. However, shortly afterward, communication with both men suddenly ceased, and their mobile phones became unreachable.

Their vehicle was later found in the D-12 area of Islamabad, but neither of them was present at the location.

More than a month has passed, yet their families have received no verified information regarding their whereabouts, physical condition, or fate. Their families remain in a state of profound distress and uncertainty.

Our Requests

We respectfully call upon the United Nations and all relevant institutions to:

• Urgently and seriously examine and follow up on this case and request an official explanation from the Government of Pakistan regarding the fate of the two missing individuals.
• Urge the Pakistani authorities to conduct an immediate, transparent, comprehensive, and effective investigation into their disappearance.
• Request that the Government of Pakistan preserve and examine all relevant evidence, including CCTV footage, traffic-camera recordings, telecommunications data, and evidence connected to the vehicle found in D-12.
• Determine the circumstances under which communication with them was lost and establish what happened after their final contact with their families.
• Clarify whether the two individuals have been detained, questioned, or taken into custody by any governmental authority or institution.
• If they are being detained or held by any official institution, immediately disclose their place of detention, legal status, and state of health, and guarantee their access to their families and legal counsel.
• Designate an official point of contact for their families and provide them with reliable and regular updates regarding the progress of the investigation.
• We also call upon international human rights organizations, organizations defending journalists and press freedom, diplomatic missions, and the international community to support this appeal and stand with the families in seeking immediate clarification regarding the fate of Sayed Qasim Hashemi and Hamed Ehsas.

This appeal does not constitute an accusation against any individual or institution. It is a humanitarian and human rights appeal for truth, accountability, and the protection of the lives and dignity of two missing individuals.

Their families have the right to know where their loved ones are, what condition they are in, and what has happened to them.

We call upon the international community not to remain silent and to take immediate action to locate Sayed Qasim Hashemi and Hamed Ehsas and ensure their safe return to their families.