Quetta: The human rights situation in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan has significantly worsened, with 14 people, including 2 children, being killed in an extrajudicial manner and 44 abducted illegally by the Pakistani military in the month of August alone, according to a report.
Paank, the human rights unit of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), said enforced disappearances or illegal abductions were reported from 11 districts of Balochistan during the month.
In its monthly report, said Kech district recorded the highest number of 15 cases of illegal abductions among the total of 44, who all remain missing.
Paank’s report also details extrajudicial killings, with five detainees killed in fake encounters in Khuzdar district, says a statement issued by the BNM spokesperson Qazi Dad Mohammad Rehan.
Among those directly killed by the Pakistan army were two children — Master Abdul Khaliq in Awaran and a 5-year-old girl, Sitarah, in Kolwah’s Dandar area, it said.
On August 27, in Panjgur district, two youths, Sajjaad and Kamran, were summoned by the Frontier Corps (FC) to sign affidavits claiming they were associated with an armed organization and surrendering, the BNM said.
They refused to sign and as a result, they were killed while they were returning home from the camp, the statement said.
Paank also expressed concern over the Pakistan army’s secretive activities beyond the country’s borders to target the Baloch people.
On August 4, 2024, agents of the Pakistan army killed Sabir Baloch in Sarawan in Iran-administered Western Balochistan, it said, citing an example.
Later, on August 28, Akhtar Baloch, a resident of Gomazi in Kech district of Balochistan, was also killed in Dashtiyari, Western Balochistan under Iran’s jurisdiction.
The report highlights the plight of Baloch refugees in Western Balochistan, who face continuous targeted killings, deprived of legal, constitutional, and social security, the statement said.
Despite repeated appeals, international organizations and relevant authorities have been unable to provide these stateless people with the humanitarian assistance they desperately need, the spokesman said.
Paank has called for Baloch refugees in Afghanistan and Iran to be granted official refugee status and provided protection under the supervision of international human rights organizations.
The organization emphasized that just as Afghan refugees were recognized and provided humanitarian aid during the conflicts in Afghanistan by Iran and Pakistan, Baloch refugees should receive the same status and support.
Paank also demanded accountability for the actions of the Pakistan army within the borders of Iran and Afghanistan.
The report noted that even after being recovered, victims of enforced disappearances remain unsafe.
A young man, Abid, son of Washdil, was shot and seriously injured by a death squad backed by the Pakistan army in Turbat, the main city of Kech district.
Abid Baloch had previously been released on March 21, 2023, after being forcibly disappeared by the Pakistan army.
The report highlighted that this is not an isolated case.
Individuals previously forcibly disappeared or acquitted by the courts are often forcibly disappeared again or extrajudicially killed.
Targeted killings are another tactic employed by the Pakistan army in Balochistan to eliminate those they oppose.
Paank urged human rights organizations to prioritize the restoration of both the mental and physical well-being of victims of enforced disappearances.
It emphasized the need to protect their lives and property, ensuring they can reintegrate into society and live as normal citizens.
