The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Tuesday condemned the kidnapping of a 9-year-old boy who in a video pleads for his family to save him from the kidnappers. The video has been shared on social media and has drawn widespread calls for action. 

Abdul Rauf was on his way to school in Mazar-e-Sharif city when he was kidnapped by unidentified men wearing military uniforms 32 days ago, according to officials. 

The video was sent to Abdul Rauf’s father, Mohammad Nabi, according to officials. The video shows that the boy's jacket has been taken off and he is handcuffed. The video shows that he is kept in a cold place.  

The commission said the kidnapped child should be rescued as soon as possible and that the perpetrators should be punished. 

“Wherever I go to public offices, the kidnappers send me messages and say that I have gone here and there. I have the documents. I have shared all messages of kidnappers with the government, but it does not yield a result,” said Mohammad Nabi. 

Social media users widely shared the video of Abdul Rauf and said that he should be rescued by security forces. 

“It is in contravention of national and international laws. It is a crime. I saw the video of the child. He is naked. He is handcuffed with a chain. We call on security forces to ensure his quick release,” said Sayed Mohammad Same, head of the human rights commission office in Balkh.

A protest was held in the city of Mazar, the center of Balkh, on Tuesday. The protestors criticized the local officials for not arresting the boy 32 days after he was kidnapped. 

“The government has not paid attention to this matter… Why can't find him despite having access to modern technology? They are not willing to find him,” said Mohammad Anwar, a protestor. 

The protestors said they will continue their protest if the fate of the kidnapped boy is not clear. 

It is more than a month that he has been kidnapped. How are they doing this?” said Abdul Malik Noori, a protestor. 

The issue was raised by the parliament speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani on Tuesday session who said that he should be rescued as soon as possible. 

Balkh police said efforts are underway to rescue the kidnapped child. 

“Balkh police, along with other security agencies, have worked on finding the kidnapped person. We are ready for any type of cooperation in this respect,” Balkh police spokesman Adil Shah Adil said.