The human rights department of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), Paank, has documented a sharp escalation in human rights violations across Balochistan during March 2025. According to its latest monthly report, 181 enforced disappearances and 12 extrajudicial killings were recorded, signaling an alarming deterioration in the region’s human rights situation.
The report accuses Pakistani security forces and associated death squads of carrying out widespread abductions, primarily targeting students, civil society members, and social activists. Out of the abducted individuals, 87 were later released, many bearing visible signs of severe torture. Paank notes that most detentions were conducted without any legal warrants or judicial oversight, raising serious legal and ethical concerns.
Providing further details, Paank reported the highest number of enforced disappearances—37 cases each—from Shaal and Kalat. Other affected areas included Dera Bugti (18), Gwadar (15), Nushki (13), Dera Ghazi Khan (10), Kech (9), Barkhan (8), Awaran (7), Karachi (6), Sibi (2) ,Lasbela (5), Mastung (4), Panjgur (3), and Nasirabad (2). Additionally, one case each was recorded in Islamabad, Kachhi, Jaffarabad, Jacobabad, and Khuzdar.
Paank further revealed that several individuals killed extrajudicially had previously been reported forcibly missing. Among them was Nizam Baloch, who was abducted from Gili, Buleda on March 11. His body was discovered the following day. His brother, Shah Nawaz Baloch, was later shot dead in Kech. Another victim, Shah Jahan Kurd, was the brother of forcibly disappeared Baloch Students Organization (BSO) leader Zahid Baloch. He was killed in the Naal area of Khuzdar.
A tragic incident unfolded on March 21, during a peaceful protest demanding the release of forcibly missing persons, where 12-year-old Nehmat Baloch, along with Habib Baloch and Imdad Baloch, were shot and killed. Paank described Nehmat’s death as a symbol of the state’s oppressive tactics.
On March 23, Ehsan Baloch, a BYC activist and local shopkeeper, was assassinated in Khuzdar. Paank characterized the killing as a planned targeted attack. Days later, on March 26, the mutilated bodies of Tausif, Zaheer, and Irshad Baloch—all previously abducted—were found in Mashkay. Furthermore, the bodies of Saif Baloch and Anas Baloch, forcibly missing for several months, were also recovered at the end of March.
The report also highlights the unlawful arrest of prominent political activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Bebo Baloch, Bibgar Baloch, and Shah Ji Sibghatullah Baloch. They were detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act and transferred to Hudha Jail in Shaal.
Paank voiced deep concern over the secret burial of 13 unidentified bodies in Kasi Graveyard, believed to be the remains of individuals who had previously been forcibly disappeared. The organization has demanded immediate forensic investigations to identify the deceased.
Paank denounced the ongoing state repression as a blatant violation of international human rights laws and called upon the United Nations and global human rights organizations to intervene urgently and hold the Pakistani state accountable.
