Why Was a Youth Shot Dead by a Pakistan-Backed Death Squad in Balochistan?

Quetta, July 18 (NationPress) A Baloch human rights organization has denounced the extrajudicial execution of a young man on Friday, perpetrated by a state-backed death squad in the crowded market of Kharan district, Balochistan. This tragic event comes amidst a growing tide of human rights abuses throughout the region.

Paank, the Human Rights Department of the Baloch National Movement, reported that Mujahid, son of Khair Jan, was shot dead in the bustling market of Kharan by “members of a state-supported death squad; an armed faction operating under the auspices of the Pakistani military.” Despite being rushed to Sheikh Zayed Hospital, he sadly succumbed to his injuries.

“This deliberate attack highlights a troubling trend of impunity, as death squads persist in targeting civilians across Balochistan with full state endorsement. Paank vehemently condemns this vicious killing and the ongoing complicity of Pakistani state institutions in perpetuating such violence,” stated the organization.

In another harrowing revelation, Paank also noted that Azmat Rind, a Balochistan resident, was “tortured to death by Pakistani forces in custody.”

According to the rights group, Azmat Rind, son of Ameer Bakhsh Rind from Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani military personnel on June 5, near Sabzi Mandi, Naseerabad district.

“After being held in illegal custody for over a month, the Pakistani forces informed his family on July 9 that Azmat had died from injuries sustained through torture. Instead of returning the body, the army covertly buried him in a remote location in Chatar, Naseerabad—flouting all religious and cultural principles,” Paank reported.

“The custodial murder of Azmat Rind exemplifies a systematic campaign of terror executed by the Pakistani state in Balochistan, where individuals who disappear are routinely subjected to torture and murder in military custody,” it added.

Another human rights entity, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), disclosed that Ghulam Jan, son of Bejjar Baloch, residing in Tehsil Kolwah in the Awaran district of Balochistan, was extrajudicially slain on July 13 by a death squad supported by Pakistan.

“Local sources reported that Ghulam Jan had faced ongoing harassment and threats. His family was forcibly displaced from their home village, Pahu, due to relentless military intimidation. On the evening of July 13, Ghulam Jan was abducted by state-backed death squads. Hours later, his body, riddled with bullets and visible signs of torture, was discovered abandoned in the Kuli area of Kolwah,” the BYC disclosed.

Multiple human rights organizations in Balochistan have repeatedly emphasized the oppression faced by the populace at the hands of Pakistani forces, which includes violent raids on the homes of Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, a 'kill and dump' policy, arrests under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases.