Balochistan's Brutal Pattern: Two Civilians Killed Amid Rising Disappearances

The latest act of brutality comes against the backdrop of a continuing cycle of persecution marked by a surge in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture across the province.

Condemning the killing, Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that Jalal Khan, a resident of the Mand region in Balochistan, was shot dead by Pakistani forces while on a picnic on Tuesday.

"We are gravely concerned over the enforced disappearance of his friend, Noman Baloch, whose whereabouts remain unknown. This tragic incident is yet another example of the systematic state-sponsored atrocities, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, inflicted upon the Baloch people," the rights body stated.

Paank called for an immediate and impartial investigation into the killing, the safe recovery of Noman Baloch, and accountability for those responsible. It urged the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for these gross violations of human rights.

Highlighting another such brutal incident, the rights body expressed serious concern over the enforced disappearance and subsequent extrajudicial killing of a teenager, Farooq Naeem, resident of Khairabad region in Balochistan by Pakistani forces.

Citing eyewitness accounts, including fellow passengers and the bus driver, the rights body stated that on April 24, Farooq was forcibly taken by armed men believed to be personnel of Pakistani security forces while he was travelling to Karachi to obtain a medical certificate required for his Qatar work visa. Despite repeated appeals by the family, no state institution acknowledged his detention or disclosed his whereabouts.

According to the rights body, after nearly seven months of disappearance, Farooq's bullet-riddled body was discovered on November 17 in the Banok-e-Chadi area of Kech district.

"The condition of the body and the circumstances of its recovery strongly indicate custodial torture and extrajudicial execution--patterns consistently documented in other cases of enforced disappearances in Balochistan," Paank stated.

Earlier on Tuesday, families of six young Baloch boys who were forcibly disappeared from Quetta's Essa Nagri on August 28 held a press conference at Turbat press club in Balochistan, demanding their safe recovery.

Paank noted that despite repeated appeals and multiple visits to officials, the families have received no information regarding their whereabouts.

Expressing solidarity with the families, the rights body condemned the ongoing enforced disappearances as a grave violation of human rights, and reiterated that Pakistan must be held accountable for its legal and moral obligations.

"We stand with the affected families and support their call for transparency, justice, and urgent action," Paank stated.

- IANS