A 27-year-old shopkeeper, Mehran Baloch, was allegedly shot dead in broad daylight by Pakistan-backed forces on 21 May in the Surap Bazaar area of Kech district, Balochistan, the human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) alleged on 23 May. The killing, according to the BYC, occurred as Mehran was leaving his shop and took place despite the presence of military checkpoints in the area.

What the BYC Alleged

The BYC condemned the killing in strong terms, stating that 'despite the presence of checkpoints and heavy military surveillance, Baloch civilians are continuously being targeted, while criminal networks and drug traffickers move freely without fear.' The organisation further noted that 'during the days of Eid, instead of celebrations, many Baloch families are receiving the dead bodies of their sons.'

The rights body urged international human rights organisations, the United Nations, and the global community to take urgent notice of what it described as a worsening human rights situation in Balochistan. It alleged that those who speak out against oppression face 'arrests, harassment, and further repression' rather than justice.

Raid on Slain Man's Family Home

Sabiha Baloch, a central leader of the BYC, separately condemned a violent night raid on the residence of Zareef Baloch, who was allegedly extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces last year. In a post on X, Sabiha wrote that 'security forces entered the house at night, confiscated women's belongings, damaged household property, and terrorised family members already grieving the loss of their loved one.'

Zareef Baloch was reportedly forcibly disappeared on 26 December, and his body was found near a neighbouring house the following day. According to Sabiha, 'his body bore signs of severe torture, including burns inflicted on his tongue, constituting torture and cruel, inhuman treatment prohibited under international law.'

Pattern of Alleged State Repression

The BYC leader argued that the targeting of families after custodial killings 'has become a recurring reality in Balochistan, creating fear and insecurity within entire communities.' She described raids on civilian homes, humiliation of women, and intimidation of grieving families as 'violations of fundamental human dignity and justice.'

This comes amid a broader pattern of alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings that human rights groups have documented across Balochistan over several years. The Pakistani government has not publicly responded to the BYC's specific allegations regarding the 21 May killing.

International Accountability Sought

The BYC has called on international bodies to intervene, arguing that the absence of accountability from Pakistani authorities leaves affected communities without recourse. Rights groups have long flagged Balochistan as a province where enforced disappearances and alleged custodial deaths remain systematically underreported and uninvestigated.

How international human rights mechanisms respond to the BYC's latest appeal will be closely watched by advocacy groups monitoring the situation in the province.