Pakistani military operations in the Zehri region of Balochistan's Khuzdar district have drawn sharp condemnation from a leading human rights body, which alleged that one woman was killed and two others injured in a drone strike on residential areas, while 25 civilians were subjected to enforced disappearance. The Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) raised the alarm on Friday, 4 September, citing sources on the ground amid a near-total communication blackout in the area.

The Alleged Drone Strike

According to the BVJ, the woman who was killed had reportedly stepped out to collect water when she was struck in what the organisation described as a drone attack by Pakistani forces on residential areas. Two other individuals, including another woman, were reportedly injured in the same incident. The rights body noted that the identities of the deceased and the current medical condition of the injured remain difficult to independently verify, given the restrictions on access and communication in Zehri.

Enforced Disappearances and Curfew

Alongside the alleged strike, the BVJ said Pakistani security forces took 25 local residents into custody during the military operation and subjected them to enforced disappearance. The incident unfolded against the backdrop of a prolonged curfew in Zehri that has reportedly been in place for several months. Mobile phone services have reportedly been suspended across the region, severely curtailing any communication with affected communities and making it especially difficult to ascertain the whereabouts of those who have disappeared.

'Mobile phone services have reportedly been suspended across Zehri because of the curfew, severely restricting communication with the affected communities. This communication blackout has made it particularly difficult to obtain reliable information about those allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance, as well as those reportedly killed or injured,' the BVJ stated.

Rights Body Demands Independent Probe

The BVJ called for urgent, independent investigation into the incidents, arguing that targeting civilians, enforcing disappearances, and blocking access to information constitute serious human rights violations. The organisation urged the United Nations and international human rights groups to press Pakistani authorities for information on the whereabouts and safety of all disappeared persons, and to ensure civilians are shielded from further harm.

'Targeting civilians, subjecting people to enforced disappearance, and restricting access to information and communication raise serious human rights concerns and require urgent, independent investigation,' the BVJ said.

Turbat: Roads Blocked, Doctors Threatened

In a separate incident in Balochistan's Turbat region, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) condemned what it described as arbitrary road closures and violence by Pakistan's Frontier Corps (FC) against civilians. According to the BYC, roads in Turbat were sealed for several hours to provide VIP protocol to social media influencers and content creators brought from Islamabad, leaving thousands of citizens — including schoolchildren, patients, doctors, hospital staff, and businesspeople — stranded.

The BYC alleged that when patients and senior doctors questioned the closures, FC personnel responded with violence. It said a rifle was pointed at one doctor and he was threatened with being shot. A pregnant woman was also reportedly among those subjected to violence. In protest, staff and patients at Turbat Teaching Hospital boycotted their duties, demanding an end to the restrictions and accountability for those responsible.

'It is highly alarming that resources are being spent in Balochistan to form so-called 'fake narratives,' while ordinary citizens are being confined and deprived of their basic freedom of movement for the same purpose,' the BYC stated. The committee described keeping civilian life under continuous restrictions in the name of security as 'unacceptable in any way.'

The twin incidents in Khuzdar and Turbat underscore the deepening humanitarian concerns in Balochistan, where rights organisations have repeatedly flagged a pattern of enforced disappearances, communication blackouts, and alleged use of force against civilians during military operations — a pattern that international bodies have yet to independently verify.