Quetta, May 22 (NVI) In Balochistan, at least 151 locals were abducted by the occupying Pakistani forces and 23 were killed in an extra-judicial manner during the month of April, according to the latest report by human rights organisation ‘Paank’.
The report documents numerous organized and deliberate violations of human rights targeting the Baloch population across 18 districts of Balochistan.
Each case included has been independently verified by ‘Paank’, the human rights organisation of Baloch National Movement (BNM), its spokesman Qazi Rehan said.
Kech was the most affected district, with 53 cases of abductions or ‘Enforced Disappearances’ at the hands of Pakistani military and its agents, according to the report.
Kech was followed by Gwadar with 19, and Quetta (Shal) with 18 reported disappearances.
Other districts with reported violations include Dera Bugti (13), Panjgur (8), Awaran (7), Sibi (6), Barkhan (5), Karachi and Mastung (4 each), Lasbela, Musakhel, Chagai, Khuzdar, and Kalat (2 each), and one case each from Washuk, Kharan, Surab, and Nushki.
“These figures highlight the widespread nature of state repression faced by the Baloch population throughout the province,” Rehan said.
According to Paank, victims of enforced disappearance are completely cut off from the outside world, including their families who never get to see their loved ones alive again as in most cases, the victims are subjected to extrajudicial killings.
In April, 23 people were killed by the Pakistani forces in an extrajudicial manner while 50 individuals were released from military detention centers.
Many of the detainees are released after extensive torture, leaving them physically disabled.
The report provides detailed accounts of custodial killings. Several individuals who were forcibly disappeared were later found dead.
The report emphasizes the direct involvement of the Pakistani military in these crimes and its complete impunity from legal accountability.
The military’s refusal to disclose the locations of detention centers and its prevention of any access to detainees by families or legal representatives are cited as clear indicators of systematic, inhumane practices.
Paank also highlights the role of state-sponsored death squads, describing them as the most ruthless arms of the military in Balochistan, operating as unaccountable machines of extrajudicial execution.
Paank urges the international community and relevant institutions to immediately conduct independent investigations into these cases, disclose the whereabouts and legal basis for the detention of forcibly disappeared individuals, and take action against those responsible for these violations.
It also appealed to the international community to ratify and implement the international convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance.
The report calls for urgent steps to halt these ongoing human rights violations, warning that if immediate action is not taken, these abuses will not only devastate individual lives in Balochistan but also pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability. (NVI)
