The human rights situation in Balochistan has significantly worsened. In August 2024 alone, 14 people were extrajudicially killed, including two refugees outside the Pakistani border in western Balochistan.
The Baloch National Movement’s human rights organization, Paank, released its monthly report highlighting the region’s deteriorating conditions. According to the report, there are no signs of improvement in Balochistan’s human rights situation.
Forced disappearances were reported in 11 districts in August 2024, including Karachi, with Kech district recording the highest number at 15 cases. A total of 44 people were abducted by the Pakistan army and its affiliated agencies, remaining forcibly disappeared after their arrests.
Paank’s report also details extrajudicial killings, with five detainees killed in fake encounters in Khuzdar district. Among those directly killed by the Pakistan army were Master Abdul Khaliq in Awaran and a five-year-old girl, Sitarah, in Kolwah’s Dandar area.
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. After refusing to sign, they were killed on their way back from the camp.
Paank also expressed concern over the Pakistan army’s secretive activities beyond its borders. On August 4, 2024, agents of the Pakistan army killed Sabir Baloch, a resident of Awaran district, in Sarawan, Western Balochistan (Iranian-administered). Later, on August 28, Akhtar Baloch, a resident of Gomazi, Tump, Kech district, was also killed in Dashtiyari, Western Balochistan.
The report highlights the plight of Baloch refugees in Western Balochistan, who face continuous targeted killings, deprived of legal, constitutional, and social security. Despite repeated appeals, international organizations and relevant authorities have been unable to provide these stateless people with the humanitarian assistance they desperately need.
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.
