Quetta, Oct 29 (NationPress) Acknowledging extrajudicial killings as a serious breach of the Constitution and essential human rights, Justice Athar Minallah of the Supreme Court of Pakistan recently rejected an appeal against the death penalty of Frontier Corps (FC) soldier Shadiullah, who fatally shot Hayat Baloch in Turbat, Balochistan, in the presence of his parents.

However, local media indicated on Wednesday that a three-judge panel of the Supreme Court, with a majority ruling of two to one, has converted Shadiullah's death penalty into a life sentence.

Hayat Baloch, a student at Karachi University, was killed on August 13, 2020, in the Absar locality of Turbat when FC member Shadiullah shot him eight times before his parents, as reported by The Balochistan Post. This horrific act ignited widespread anger throughout Balochistan against ongoing state oppression in the area, which persists in various forms.

Extrajudicial killings of political activists and enforced disappearances continue in Balochistan, despite numerous protests and intermittent judicial responses. At the time of Hayat Baloch's murder, many young Baloch individuals were slain in incidents authorities labeled as 'encounters,' as highlighted by The Balochistan Post. The pattern of abducting and executing Baloch youth, followed by the disposal of their bodies in remote locations, remains ongoing.

Through coercion and violence, authorities persist in silencing dissenting voices against such acts of state brutality. Court rulings rarely result in actual justice in Balochistan, according to reports. Influential institutions impose their authority over the Baloch populace through force. Despite the lack of judicial justice, the call to remember Hayat Baloch and countless others in Balochistan will continue.

On October 23, a prominent human rights organization reported that at least two Baloch youths were victims of extrajudicial killings by a Pakistan-backed death squad in Balochistan. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) noted that Zahoor Baloch, a 20-year-old laborer from the Paroom area in Panjgur district, was forcibly taken by state-backed assailants in the early hours of October 20.

According to eyewitness accounts, the abductors arrived in a Surf vehicle and seized Zahoor from his home. His mutilated body was discovered the following morning, confirming the act of extrajudicial killing.

"This tragic event is not an isolated incident but rather part of a systematic campaign of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings targeting the Baloch community. Zahoor's death exemplifies the ongoing climate of fear in Balochistan, where young men are frequently abducted and murdered without accountability," stated the BYC.

In another horrifying episode, the BYC reported that on October 20, the tortured and bullet-riddled body of a Baloch civilian, Faqeer Jan, was found discarded in an open area, revealing yet another case of extrajudicial killing in Balochistan. As per the rights group, Faqeer was kidnapped on the night of October 18 by the state-supported death squad in the Gwaash region of Panjgur.