According to the monthly report issued by Paank, the human rights organization of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), incidents of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan persist and have alarmingly increased.
The detailed 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.
In April 2025, a total of 151 individuals were forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani military and its affiliated agencies. The most affected district was Kech, with 53 cases, 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.
According to Paank, victims of enforced disappearance are completely cut off from their families and the outside world, and in many cases, they are later subjected to extrajudicial killings. In April, 50 individuals were released from military detention centers, while 23 people were killed extrajudicially, with the Pakistani military directly involved. Many detainees have also sustained injuries during illegal custody or torture, though comprehensive data on such cases remains unavailable.
The report provides detailed accounts of custodial killings. Several individuals who were forcibly disappeared were later found dead. Abdul Malik Baloch was abducted from Turbat (Kech) on 11 October 2024, and his body was discovered in Baghbana, Khuzdar on 4 April 2025. Shah Nawaz and Zahoor Ahmed were abducted from Mashkay, Awaran on 5 April and killed in custody, along with Habib Baloch, who had been missing since March. In a tragic incident, 12-year-old Sahel Baloch was abducted from Pasni, Gwadar in April, and his body was found behind Shah Jan Hotel in Pasni. Mehrab and Khan Muhammad were abducted and killed on 6 April. Haq Nawaz, Shero, and Gul Zaman Buzdar were forcibly disappeared from Barkhan on 5 April and later killed in a staged encounter. Bahadur Shafi and his three cousins were killed by state-backed death squads on 7 April in Washbod, Panjgur. Nadir Baloch was abducted from Kundari, Mashkay on 6 April, and his body was recovered the next day. Nizam Baloch was abducted from Pasni, and his mutilated body was found on 16 April. Farooq Ahmed Baloch was taken from Khuzdar on 14 April, and his body was discovered in Nal on 15 April. Sher Khan Nazar was abducted from Turbat and killed on 17 April. Nabeel Baloch, a student and journalist, was shot dead at Tump College, Kech in April. In Duki district, a pattern of extrajudicial killings continued under the false pretense of targeting Baloch insurgents. Victims included Muhammad Deen Marri, Ejaz Ahmed, Nabeel Marri, and Khair Muhammad Mohammad Hassani.
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.
In conclusion, Paank appeals 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. 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.
