Pakistani security forces have allegedly killed a civilian man and forcibly disappeared a 20-year-old woman student in separate incidents across Balochistan, according to human rights organisations. The incidents, documented on 27 August 2026, have drawn sharp condemnation from rights bodies citing a pattern of extrajudicial violence and enforced disappearances in the province.

The Killing of Akbar Haider

According to Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement, Akbar Haider — a resident of the Turbat region in Balochistan — was killed by Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on 25 August 2026 during a raid on his home. Paank described the killing as a 'grave violation of the fundamental right to life and a serious abuse of state authority.'

The organisation stated that the incident allegedly violates Pakistan's obligations under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which protects individuals against the arbitrary deprivation of life. Paank called on the Pakistani government to immediately launch an independent, transparent, and impartial judicial investigation into Haider's death and hold those responsible accountable.

Enforced Disappearance of Safia Baloch

Safia Baloch, a 20-year-old student, was reportedly taken from provincial capital Quetta in the early hours of 23 August 2026 by Pakistani forces, according to Paank. The rights body called on authorities to immediately disclose her whereabouts, ensure her safety, protect her from torture or ill-treatment, and provide her family with information about her condition.

The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) described Safia's case as part of a 'disturbing pattern of enforced disappearances of women in Balochistan,' noting that from January to July 2026, 23 women were reportedly abducted by security forces. The HRCB also noted the earlier reported abduction of Mahjabeen, another resident of Washuk, who was reportedly taken from Quetta on 29 May 2025 and whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Rights Groups Sound the Alarm

Shalee Baloch, central organiser of the Baloch Women Forum (BWF), said in a post on X that the continued abduction and enforced disappearance of Baloch women had reached an 'alarming and intolerable' level. She named several women — Habiba, Mahjabeen, Nasreena, Humaira, Najma, and now Safia Baloch — as representing what she called 'a growing reality of Baloch women being forcibly disappeared.'

'We cannot bear another abduction, and we will not allow the enforced disappearance of Baloch women to be normalised,' she said.

A Deepening Pattern of Alleged Abuses

Rights organisations have for years documented alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, with Pakistani security forces repeatedly accused of conducting operations without due process. The Pakistani government has historically denied systematic abuses, though independent verification remains difficult due to restricted media access in the province.

With at least 23 women reportedly disappeared between January and July 2026 alone, advocacy groups warn that accountability mechanisms in Balochistan remain critically weak. Pressure is expected to mount on international human rights bodies to take up these cases formally.