Quetta, Nov 29 (IANS) A leading human rights organisation drew attention to a serious humanitarian crisis in Balochistan, warning of a surge in systematic oppression and violence perpetrated by the Pakistani authorities.
In its report titled “Human Rights Situation in Balochistan”, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) documented 168 victims of enforced disappearances during September and October, of whom 12 victims were released, 17 were killed in custody, and 140 remain missing.
Among the affected districts in Balochistan, Kech recorded the highest number of cases, with 54, followed by Panjgur with 26, Dera Bugti with 21, and Quetta with 20.
As per the findings, the most victims of enforced disappearance are between 19 and 25 years old, and they belong to various professions. The disappeared include 53 students, 21 minors and one woman, with Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) identified as the largest perpetrator, involved in 45 per cent of cases, followed by Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Military Intelligence (MI).
According to the report, 25 cases of extrajudicial killings were recorded during this period, with one minor and one woman victim. The mode of killings included target killings by Pakistan-backed death squads, custodial killings, and the kill-and-dump of mutilated bodies.
“The majority of the victims were previously disappeared persons who were killed either in custody or tortured to death. District Kech recorded the largest number of cases as 10, followed by Panjgur (7). While Frontier Corps came out to be the prime perpetrator with involvement in 52 per cent of cases, followed by State-backed Death Squads and the Army,” the report detailed.
The BYC alleged that torture and inhuman treatment of victims continued, with the victims of ‘kill and dump’ showing severe signs of physical abuse.
“The bodies of 16-year-old Faraz Baloch and 18-year-old Mehraj Baloch were severely mutilated and unrecognisable, and Mehraj was only identified from his identity card placed beside his body. The physical and sexual torture of young female Nazia Shafi during a military raid reflects a systematic pattern of torture and impunity in Balochistan, always followed by state denial and efforts to justify such acts,” the report noted.
Highlighting the atrocities in Balochistan, the BYC mentioned that the collective punishment of Baloch communities has surged as the entire population of Zehri tehsil of Khuzdar district is still under military siege.
“The civilians of Zehri faced airstrikes, drone attacks, and mortar shells, where around 20 were killed, including women and children. People witnessed home destructions, enforced disappearances, crop damages and mass migrations. Prolonged curfews, communication blackouts, and restrictions on movement have created hunger and a health crisis in the town,” the rights body stated.
The BYC asserted that deliberate targeting of Baloch people based on identity has created a sense of racial persecution on the part of the state, which not only undermines universal values of justice, democracy and rule of law but also exposes the real face of the Pakistani authorities seeking to control land and people.
–IANS
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