Why Are Two More Civilians Killed by Pakistani Forces in Balochistan?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Two Baloch civilians were killed by Pakistani forces.
- The ongoing violence illustrates a human rights crisis in Balochistan.
- Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances are common.
- Human rights organizations are urging the international community to act.
- Accountability for these crimes is crucial for justice.
Quetta, Nov 4 (NationPress) A prominent human rights organization reported that two additional Baloch civilians fell victim to extrajudicial killings by Pakistani forces in Balochistan on Tuesday.
This alarming event is part of a persistent cycle of oppression, marked by a troubling rise in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture throughout the province.
According to the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department (Paank), on October 29, Hamza Baloch, a laborer from the Sourgar Oranch region of Khuzdar district, was forcibly taken by a Pakistan-backed death squad and handed to the Pakistani military. Following five days of unlawful detention, the rights group reported that his bullet-riddled body was found on Monday morning in the Jootar Koor Korak region of Awaran district.
Moreover, Paank disclosed that Bahad Baloch, from Kulaho village in Kech district, was brutally murdered by members of the same Pakistan-backed death squads, with his remains transferred to Turbat Civil Hospital on November 1.
“He was the primary supporter of his family, working in the Kuntani border area of Gwadar. On his way home, the squad members disregarded his family obligations, stole his bike and belongings, and murdered him. They attempted to disguise the murder as a suicide by tying a rope around his neck and leaving his body in a nearby mosque before it was taken to Turbat hospital,” detailed Paank.
Expressing sympathy for the bereaved family, the rights organization called for accountability for those accountable. They asserted that Pakistan, through its infamous security forces and local militias, is directly complicit in serious war crimes in Balochistan. Paank urged the international community to halt funding to Pakistan, claiming such resources are utilized to perpetuate these atrocities.
In highlighting the ongoing injustices in Balochistan, Paank also reported that a Baloch youth, Asif Hasil, a fisherman, was subjected to enforced disappearance at the Pasni check-post in Gwadar district on Monday evening by personnel from Pakistan's notorious Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies. Before his unlawful detention, security forces executed an “unwarranted” raid on his home at midnight, confiscating all mobile phones belonging to family members.
The rights organization emphasized that illegal detentions have traumatized Baloch society, especially given the concerning involvement of security forces in these incidents.
Paank called for immediate international intervention to hold Pakistan accountable for its ongoing human rights violations against Baloch civilians.