At least five Baloch youths were allegedly killed in a fake encounter by Pakistani forces in the Cheedagi region of Panjgur district, Balochistan, on 10 August, according to allegations raised by leading human rights organisations on 12 August. The killings have drawn sharp condemnation from rights bodies who are demanding an independent international investigation.

What Happened in Cheedagi

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a prominent human rights organisation, alleged that Pakistani forces carried out the killings in a staged encounter. Among the deceased was Shoaib, who, according to the BYC, had been subjected to enforced disappearance for more than three years before being killed. A second victim, Peerjan Baloch, aged 23, had reportedly been missing for 66 days prior to his death. A third victim was identified as Hafiz Mudassar; the identities of the remaining two have not yet been established, according to rights groups.

What Rights Bodies Said

The BYC issued a detailed statement condemning the killings. “The killing of Shoaib is another grave human rights violation in Balochistan where young Baloch lives continue to be lost. Enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings have left families across Balochistan living with constant uncertainty,” the committee stated.

On Peerjan Baloch, the BYC said: “For 66 days, Peerjan’s family was left without answers. They were never informed of any crime committed by him. No warrant or FIR was presented to the family before he was taken away. They waited for their son to come back alive, but received his dead body instead.”

Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement, also condemned the incident and called for “an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into these killings, the identification of all victims, and accountability for those responsible.”

Calls for International Intervention

Rights organisations have urged the United Nations and the broader international community to intervene urgently and press Pakistan to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan. Paank further demanded that Pakistani authorities “immediately end enforced disappearances, disclose the whereabouts of all missing persons, and ensure that detainees are brought before courts and provided due process and fair trials.”

A Pattern of Alleged Abuse

This is not an isolated allegation. Rights groups have for years documented a pattern of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and fake encounters in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province. The province has been the site of a long-running insurgency, and human rights monitors say civilians routinely bear the cost of the security crackdown. Pakistan’s government has consistently denied systematic abuse, but has not provided a public response to this specific incident. The international community’s response to such allegations from Balochistan remains limited, a point rights groups reiterate with each reported incident.