Quetta, March 30 (NationPress) A prominent human rights organization has raised alarms over the increasing violations committed by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, revealing a staggering 87 extrajudicial killings and 234 enforced disappearances in February alone.

In its recent report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) documented 87 killings in the region last month, comprising 82 men and 5 women, with the identities of 15 victims remaining unverified.

“Of the reported killings, the predominant cause was indiscriminate firing, which accounted for 30 incidents. Both targeted and custodial killings contributed 17 cases each, whereas fake encounters were linked to 15 cases. Additionally, 8 alleged encounters, alongside drone strikes and mortar shelling, were noted in one instance each,” stated the HRCB report.

The findings attribute 44 of the 87 killings to Pakistan's Frontier Corps (FC), while the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was responsible for 19 cases, and a state-affiliated death squad was linked to 13 more.

Moreover, unknown assailants executed several killings, with Pakistani intelligence agencies being implicated in 3 cases.

The HRCB indicates that 30 individuals, previously reported missing and believed to be in the custody of Pakistani security forces, were extrajudicially killed in February.

These killings, the report asserts, were executed by security forces and their associated death squads, either during staged fake encounters or while the victims remained in custody.

The report also highlights that from the 234 enforced disappearances attributed to Pakistani forces, 203 victims were male, and one was female.

Only 37 of those who vanished have resurfaced, 2 were moved to jail on false charges, while the majority remain unaccounted for.

Out of the total enforced disappearances, 100 individuals are claimed by the Pakistani government as suspects in detention, yet no information regarding their identities or conditions has been provided.

“The predominant method of abduction is detention, which accounts for 136 out of 234 cases, constituting a clear majority. The second most common approach involves house raids, with 92 incidents, underscoring that many abductions occur directly from the victims’ residences. In contrast, abductions at check-posts (5 cases) and summons to camps (1 case) are comparatively rare,” the HRCB reported.

The rights organization identified the CTD as the leading alleged perpetrator, associated with 123 of the 234 cases, making up more than half of all reported incidents. The FC followed with 65 cases, while Pakistani intelligence agencies were linked to 41 and death squads to 5 cases.

Balochistan continues to endure ongoing atrocities inflicted by Pakistani forces, characterized by enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch civilians at an alarming rate.