In August, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) documented reports of 65 enforced disappearances, which include 2 women and 29 students. Additionally, there were 57 cases of extrajudicial killings, including seven women, one individual on charges of blasphemy, and eight of honor killing.
Notably, human rights activist Hooran Baloch, and Saira Baloch who is protesting for the safe release of her brothers Asif and Rasheed, were harassed and threatened by security forces in an attempt to silence them.
Enforced Disappearances:
The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) received troubling reports of at least 65 cases of enforced disappearances, including 2 women and 29 students. Most of them were disappeared during house raids conducted by Pakistani security forces. It is important to highlight that women and children were subjected to torture. Moreover, security forces are also involved in the looting of valuable belongings and destruction of properties during the raids.
On August 1, Pakistani forces forcibly disappeared a young man named Saif, son of Umeed Ali, from Absar Kech. He is still missing.
A student named Kashif Ejbadi, son of Qari Inayatullah was forcefully disappeared by forces in the area of Norozabad Road, Kharan.
On August 3, Ashraf, a resident of Nokjo area of Mashkay, was whisked away by forces. It should be noted that Ashraf had previously been detained by forces in 2020 and was released after a year. He was subjected to torture during his detention.
On August 6, Pakistani forces raided Barkat Murad’s house in the Pullabad area of Tump and forcibly disappeared Barkat Murad, along with his three sons named Shaukat Murad, Babat Murad and Ayaz Murad. However, all of them were released on August 22. Notably, previously, on July 15 of this year, Babat disappeared during a raid on their house but was later released.
On August 8, Pakistani forces detained a person named Jangi Khan, son of Jan Muhammad, a resident of Teertij, Awaran from his town. He’s been missing since then.
On August 11, FC along with the Counter-Terrorism Department surrounded a house in the Khan area of Khuzdar and disappeared Levies official Saeed Baloch. He was on duty at the Deputy Commissioner’s house when he was informed about the surroundings of his home. He rushed to his home from where forces whisked him away.
Fayyaz Ali Sarprah was disappeared by forces in Quetta and was released on August 17. It should be noted that Fayyaz had previously disappeared by forces and remained in incommunicado detention for 9 months.
Dad Shah, son of Sabr Khan, a resident of Grisha Khuzdar, went missing after being illegally disappeared by CTD from his home in the Hawkes Bay area of Karachi.
Forces conducted raids on many houses in the Hairabad area of district Kech, resulting in the arrest of several individuals. Among them, three have been identified as Liaquat, son of Naguman, Sattar, son of Allah Bakhsh, and Riyaz, son of Haider.
Two youths named Zarif Baloch and Tahir Baloch were disappeared by forces from Kolwahi Bazar in Turbat. Tahir Baloch was later released, but Zarif Baloch’s whereabouts are still unknown.
Sherjan, son of Liaquat, was disappeared by forces from Balochi Bazar, Absar Kech. He has been missing since then.
On August 12, an individual named Yahya was forcefully disappeared by forces in Quetta.
On August 13, forces disappeared five individuals from the Tump area of Kech during an operation. The individuals have been identified as Arif, son of Pendok, Shahzeb, son of Rahmdal, Bahar, son of Jan Muhammad, Nadeem, son of Qadir Bakhsh, and Aziz, son of Aslam. Additionally, women and children were subjected to severe torture during the operation. All of the disappeared individuals were released on August 16.
Forces disappeared Atif, son of Master Adil Khan, during a house raid in Jamaldini village of Noshki. They also subjected other people in the house to torture.
On the same day, a student Shams Baloch was whisked away by forces from the Khand area of Khuzdar district. Shams Baloch is a resident of Khuzdar and a student in the agriculture department at the University of Sargodha, Punjab. He was released on August 16 along with Fazal.
On August 14, forces disappeared Kamran, son of Soomro Khan, from his house in Bazgir Khuzdar. Additionally, forces also detained a student named Kambar Baloch, son of Muhammad Karim, a resident of Kolwah Kech, from Sharjah Hotel Quetta.
Murad, son of Abdul Karim, was forcefully disappeared by forces during a raid in the Dazin area of Tump, Kech. He was later released after two days.
A local footballer named Muhammad Essa Domki was forecully disappeared by forces during a football match in the Killi Kunri area of Kharan. Forces also confiscated his mobile phone, motorcycle, and other belongings. He works as a laborer in the Pak-Iran border area. He was later released after two days.
On August 15, Fazal Baloch, son of Muhammad Yaqub and a resident of Khand Khuzdar, was forcibly disappeared from his home in Khuzdar. Fazal Baloch is a graduate of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, and founding chairperson of an educational organization named ‘Save Students’ Future’. During the raid, forces also subjected the women and children in the house to torture.
Notably, Fazal’s nephew, Shams Baloch, had been disappeared by forces two days before of Fazal’s disappearance. However, both of them were released on August 16.
Forces disappeared several people during raids in Bakhshi Colony, Gwadar. Among them, three individuals have been identified as Naveed, son of Yaqub, a resident of New Mulla Band, Zaheer, a resident of Bakhshi Colony, and Jahanzeb. Zaheer was released on August 16 however the whereabouts of the rest remained unknown.
Forces raided the house of well-known local businessman Haji Jumma’s brother, Hafiz Loraja, and detained Hafiz Loraja. He was released on August 17.
According to reports on August 15, an individual named Samad Sasoli was whisked away by forces during a search operation in Kharan, which was conducted 20 days ago. He has been missing since then. He had returned to his hometown from Karachi for his wedding.
On August 17, forces disappeared a young student named Abrar, son of Syed Faqir Shah, a resident of Kharan, by raiding his room located near the Children’s Hospital in Kwari Road, Quetta. He is a student. However, after two days, he was released.
The same day, forces along with personnel in civilian clothing, forcibly disappeared a student named Nabi Bakhsh Baloch, son of Jan Muhammad, a resident of Balgatar Kech, from A-One City, Quetta. He is missing since then.
On August 18, Shoaib, son of Ghulam Ali Baba, was disappeared by forces during the raid at his home in Singo Lane, Lyari, Karachi. His whereabouts have unknown since then.
FC along with personnel in civilian cloth conducted raids in many houses across different places in the Zehri area of Khuzdar. Hafeez, son of Muhammad Amin, a resident of Sangeen, and Razzaq Jatak along with his son Manan Jatak were disappeared during these raids. Razzaq Jatak and his son were released the next day, while Hafeez was released later on August 28.
On August 19, forces conducted late-night raids in different areas of Noshki district, resulting in forcible disappearance of five youths. These individuals have been identified as Haq Nawaz, a resident of Killi Mengal, Hamid, a resident of Killi Mengal, Jaffar, a resident of Killi Jamaldini, Amir, a resident of Killi Sharif Khan, and a teenager Yaseen, a resident of Killi Sharif Khan. Women and children were also subjected to torture during these raids.
On August 21, forces forcibly disappeared a young man named Naeem, son of Hasil Khan, a resident of Kulaho Tump area of district Kech, from Lyari Karachi.
On August 22, armed gunmen in a vehicle approached a local shop and abduct two brothers, Zaheer and Pirjan, sons of Lashkar Khan, in the main city of Turbat.
Similarly, a large number of armed gunmen stormed the chamber of former President of Kech Bar Association, Abdul Majeed Shah Advocate. During the raid, the people present in the chamber were beaten up , and the assailants confiscated everyone’s mobile phones. They also whisked away a 10th-grade student named Adil, son of Assa, a resident of Nali Balgatar who work in the chamber
The same day, three youths were forcibly disappeared from different areas of Kech. They have been identified as Shahjan, son of Atta, and Ahmed, son of Shagola, a student of Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Punjab, and Shaukat, son of Lewar. All of them are residents of Balgatar.
According to reports received on August 22, Dr. Rafiq Ahmed, son of Murad Muhammad, an employee of the Health Department and a resident of Shay-Kahn area of Kech district, went missing from Saddar area of Karachi on August 11. He is also member of National Party. As of now, there is no further information regarding his disappearance and whereabouts.
On August 23, forces disappeared Ijaz, son of Mir Ahmed, a student and footballer, during a late-night raid in Kalat district. Forces subjected all the people in house to torture and blindfolded them. Notably, Ijaz has been disappeared previously.
On August 24, Dad Rahim, son of Ilyas, a resident of Kahn-e-Pusht Koshkalat, Turbat, was disappeared by forces from his town. He is missing since then.
Hazrat Umar Nasir, a resident of Quetta, went missing while traveling from Islamabad to Faizabad. He works as a Civil Engineer in CDA Islamabad, and there has been no contact with him since then.
Nek Bakht, son of Fida Ahmed, a resident of Nodiz Kech, was disappeared by forces from Shambay Ismail Ward in Gwadar.
On August 26, CTD and secret agencies conducted a raid at Izzat Khan Nechari’s house in Nechari Badu, Qambarani Road, Quetta. As a result, Sajjad Ali, son of Izzat Khan Nechari, and Muhammad Yusuf, son of Muhammad Bakhsh, were disappeared.
The same day, a student of Atta Shad Degree College Turbat, Liaquat, son of Bohir, a resident of Balor Kolwah, didn’t return home after going to college. He is missing since then.
On August 27, forces detained and disappeared Miran Khan from Jhalawan Complex area of Khuzdar district. On the same day, Rasheed, son of Habib, a resident of Zahoor Shah Ward, Gwadar, was abducted from Gwadar.
On August 28, forces conducted a raid at the United Hotel in Quetta and disappeared a Baloch woman named Noor Khatun, along with her son Abdul Ghaffar and her daughter Banadi. They are residents of Sibbi. However, they were released after 5 days.
On August 30, forces conducted a raid at a house on Munir Ahmed Road in Sariab area of Quetta. During the raid, they subjected people to torture who were present in the house and forcibly disappeared Mohammad Hassan, son of Mohammad Akram Bangulzai. He was released after a week.
Honor Killing:
In August, we recorded 8 cases of honor killings in Balochistan, indicating a rise in honor killings compared to the previous month. The rising trend of honor killings in the region is a cause for concern, emphasizing the urgency of raising awareness and implementing legal reforms to safeguard the lives and dignity of individuals.
On August 4, the dead body of a 25-year-old man named Muhammad Naseem, son of Dur Muhammad, was found dead in the Sarjani Town of Abdullah Ghazi Goth area of Hub Chowki. He had been kidnapped, tortured and then fatally shot. Muhammad Naseem had gone missing on August 1. According to details, he married for the second time against the will of her second wife’s family. Moreover, his family accused his father-in-law as they were informed by Naseem’s father-in-law about his dead body and threatened to kill other family members. Later, several gunmen abducted Naseem’s wives and their children.
On August 5, two brothers, Latif and Babul, sons of Abdul Hakeem, shot dead their sister named Gul Bakht, who was approximately 18 to 20 years, and Ahmed Ali, son of Sobha Khan Jamali. The incident attributed to honor killing. Victims were residents of Killi Zarin, Quetta.
On August 16, three individuals, including a woman, were killed on the charges of honor killing in Ladi Dasht area of Mastung.
On August 25, Muhammad Hayat and his wife, residents of Basima area of Washuk, were shot dead in Killi Rudini Balina area of Sorab. They had run away from their homes to get married as their families opposed to get them married. According to sources, they were killed by the woman’s family on the charges of honor killing.
Killed:
On August 3, a dead body, estimated to be around 60 years old, was found near Usta Muhammad Graveyard in Haider Shah near Faizabad.
Abdul Rauf, son of Barkat, had recently completed his intermediate studies in Atta Shad Degree College Turbat, and was a part-time teacher at Bolan Grammar Center Turbat, was killed by unknown armed men. He had been accused of blasphemy a few days prior. The religious clerics asked him to apologize in front of a Jirgah, a religious assembly. Abdul Rauf agreed to apologize and was en route to the Jirgah that day, but was killed in a short distance away from the gathering.
A person named Imdad Juyo was killed as a result of an exchange of gunfire between two tribal groups over a land dispute in Dera Murad Jamali.
In another incident, unknown armed men shot and killed a person in Mangochar Johan Cross Bazaar, Kalat. BLA claimed responsibility, stating that he was an informant of secret agencies.
Unknown armed men entered a house in Mashkay Awaran and opened fire, resulting deaths of Shafi Muhammad, son of Nando Muhammad Hasni, and his son Madad Ali, and injuring Mohd Ali. BLF claimed the responsibility for the killings and alleged that Mohd Ali was a member of the state-backed death squads.
BLA claimed responsibility for the killing of Sufiyan, son of Abdul Hameed, a resident of Karachi, in Singanisar Turbat, and alleged that he was working for Pakistan Army.
A dead body of man was discovered near Sakuran Road, Galaxy Town, Hub. The body couldn’t be identified due to severe torture.
BLF claimed responsibility for the remote-control bomb attack in Nali area of Balgatar. As a result, Ishaq, son of Yaqoob, along with his 6 companions named Ibrahim, son of Badal, Nizam Deedar son of Wajdad, Fida Hussain, son of Momim, Sarfaraz, son of Bandu, Safar Khan, son of Haider, and Qasim, son of Abdul Hakeem, were killed. BLF stated that they were members of a state-backed death squad.
On August 10, BLF claimed responsibility for the killing of Zakir, son of Jamal, in Kalat Cher area of Mashkay. BLF alleged that he was working for the Army.
On August 11, Dr. Ali Jan, son of Saheb dad, was shot dead while his sister-in-law was injured by unknown armed motorcyclists firing in Gwarkop, Kech. The motives behind the incident are not yet known.
ATF constable Muhammad Ibrahim, son of Muhammad Qasim Sumalani, was shot dead, and his brother Muhammad Saqib was seriously injured by unknown armed individuals firing near Killi Baki Kanak, Mastung.
On August 12, the FC opened heavy fire on the population after being attacked by unknown armed men at the FC camp in Mangochar, Kalat. As a result of the FC firing, a shepherd named Abdul Nabi, son of Kabri Khan, died.
On August 14, a bullet-riddled dead body was discovered in the Narmak area of Kalat. However, the body couldn’t be identified.
On 16 August, Mohib Ali, son of Wali Muhammad, was shot dead by unknown armed men near Sakuran Road Cemetery, Hub. According to the Police, the incident appears to be related to personal enmity.
On August 18, two girls, aged 18 and 22, were shot dead in Faiz Muhammad Goth near Dhadar. The motive behind the murder is still unknown.
On August 20, two mutilated bodies were discovered in the Sarwan area of Irianian-administered Balochistan. The victims were identified as Hani Gul and Sameer, son of Barkat. Hani Gul was known as an activist and campaigner against enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Both were abducted by an unknown armed group a week earlier from their house in the Pahra Muhammadabad area of Irianian-administered Balochistan. Sameer was the elder brother of Abdul Rauf, who was on blasphemy allegations on August 5.
On August 23, the dead bodies of three family members of the same family were discovered in Kech, they were identified as Dr. Hamid Buledai, his son Behroz Hamid, and Abdul Basit. They had gone missing on their way to Iran a year and a half ago. However, BLF claimed responsibility for their killing and stated that they were working for Pakistani forces.
On August 24, Mir Dilawar, son of Wahid Bakhsh, was shot dead in Tejaban, Kech. Baloch Nationalist Army, a militant group claimed responsibility for the attack accusing Dilawar as a collaborator of the army.
On August 28, unknown gunmen shot and killed a woman in Shaman Ali Goth in Mangoli, Naseerabad. In a separate incident in Dera Murad Jamali, Naseerabad, two individuals, Yaseen and Naseer Ahmed, were injured in an attack by unknown gunmen.
A mutilated dead body of a woman was discovered near the Labor Colony area of Hub. The police say she was killed by her husband. Additionally, another dead body was discovered near Pathan Colony, Hub, identified as Abdul Jabbar. The motives behind these incidents are unknown.
On August 30, armed gunmen shot and killed a father and son in the Kurta area of Machh. They were identified as Waseem Khan and Abdul Malik. Reports suggest that the motives behind the incident are tribal enmity.
On the same day, CTD claimed to have killed four attackers affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Pashin. However, the identification of the alleged members was not disclosed.
On August 21, the dead body of Ghulam Farooq, son of Muhammad Waris, a resident of Zehri, Khuzdar, was discovered from Qambarani Road, Quetta. Notably, Ghulam Farooq was forcibly disappeared by forces from Mastung on October 27, 2022. He was a laborer.
Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) has recorded a significant rise in the short-term enforced disappearances, typically ranging from hours to a few days. Short-term enforced disappearance is a blatant violation of an individual’s fundamental human rights, including the right to liberty, security and the prohibition of torture or ill-treatment. It denies individuals their right to due process and protection under the law.
Even in a short period of disappearance, victims often endure intense physical and psychological suffering. The uncertainty surrounding their fate and the fear of what may happen during their disappearance can lead to severe trauma, anxiety and distress to the victims and their loved ones.
Moreover, International human rights law, including the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, prohibits enforced disappearance in all its forms, including short-term disappearances. States have an obligation to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable, regardless of the duration of the disappearance. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, forces enjoy absolute impunity, prompting them to commit more crimes.
In summary, short-term enforced disappearance is a serious human rights violation that can have profound and lasting consequences on victims, their families, and society at large. It is essential to condemn such actions and hold those responsible accountable, as well as to promote and protect the human rights of all individuals, irrespective of their circumstances.
