The human rights organization of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), Paank, has released its annual report. According to Pank’s 2025 Human Rights Report, the Pakistan Army carried out 225 extrajudicial killings in Balochistan last year and 1,355 enforced disappearances, reflecting systematic state-level atrocities.
The report states that the Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies, and the Frontier Corps have been targeting students, activists, and local intellectuals. Drone strikes, helicopter gunship operations, and a “kill and dump” policy have become routine, while anti-terrorism laws and the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO) have been used to criminalize peaceful civic movements such as the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). These widespread human rights violations represent a clear state policy of collective punishment against the Baloch nation.
Paank’s report highlights the intensification of state repression against the Baloch nation. According to the report, the Pakistan Army has not limited itself to traditional, low-intensity actions but has deployed full-scale military force against civilians, including aerial attacks. The first half of 2025 saw the highest number of enforced disappearances, with 785 cases, reflecting state policies aimed at suppressing growing peaceful political activity and crushing leadership. In the later months, the number of disappearances declined, but extrajudicial killings increased. 407 forcibly disappeared individuals were later released after detention in torture cells, with many suffering severe physical and psychological trauma, demonstrating the use of state terror.
The report notes that attacks on students and young professionals are part of Pakistan’s strategy to dismantle the intellectual and political leadership of Baloch society.
The report also records key incidents, including a drone attack in Buleda on 29 October, where four young people celebrating a picnic were killed despite having military permits; an aerial bombardment in Zehri on 17 September, which killed three civilians and injured a child; and an attack at Chiltan hills on 28 October, in which several teenage youths were seriously injured. These incidents constitute repeated violations of international human rights law. Among the 225 extrajudicial killings in 2025 were Zeshan Zaheer, who was forcibly disappeared in June and killed after torture; Usman Maqbool, killed two days after disappearance; and Khalil Ahmed, killed in December despite being a police officer.
The report highlights the extensive misuse of law and state terrorism as a tactic to silence dissent. Prominent BYC activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sabghatullah, Bibgar, Bibo, and Gulzadi, were arbitrarily detained under the MPO and Anti-Terrorism Act, often exceeding the 90-day legal limit of the MPO. Thirty-two activists were placed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, restricting their freedom of movement. Pakistan accelerated measures to curtail civil rights, including blocking ID cards, suspending SIM cards, restricting travel, and freezing bank accounts.
Paank urged the international community to recognize that despite abundant resources, the local population of Balochistan faces the greatest deprivation. Projects such as Reko Diq, Sandak, and Gwadar Port exploit Baloch resources, while locals demanding basic rights are crushed through military pressure and atrocities. The European Union’s GSP Plus monitoring mission in 2025 expressed concern over enforced disappearances, freedom of expression, and misuse of the Anti-Terrorism Act, confirming the deteriorating human rights situation in Balochistan.
Paank’s 15-page detailed report documents human rights violations by Pakistani state institutions in 2025. The report calls for the end of enforced disappearances, halting extrajudicial killings, stopping aerial attacks on civilians, repealing oppressive laws, and releasing political prisoners. However, it warns that without international intervention, human rights violations in Balochistan will continue, setting a dangerous precedent for authoritarian regimes worldwide.
