Each Passing month, Balochistan witnesses a major surge in the cases of enforced disappearances. Only In November, we received a total number of 68 cases of enforced disappearance, including students, women and children, and 23 cases of killings in different areas of Balochistan, while large-scale protests erupted in Quetta and the port city of Gwadar against the involuntary disappearances and for the basic rights of the people.
Enforce Disappearances:
Pakistan’s military forces and its spy agencies abducted 68 people including six students, two women, and four minors from various areas of Balochistan, while three of them were later released, and 12 among them were still unidentified till the release of this report.
On Nov 01, personnel of security forces and intelligence agencies of Pakistan forcibly disappeared students Sohail Ahmed and Safi Mohammad from the premises of Balochistan University. Both were residents of Noshki and students of Pakistan Studies. The abduction of the two students sparked protests in Quetta where hundreds of students joined the protest against the illegal abduction of their fellow students. They closed the doors of their educational institution and denied taking the terminal examination until the abducted were not released.
Despite the mass protests and extreme anger of the people, the next day, on Nov 02, the security forces of Pakistan abducted eight more people from a mountainous area between Mand and Dasht. The victims had gone there for picnic. However, five of them were later released while the whereabouts of the other three, Salman, Basit, and Gulzar, still remain undisclosed.
On Nov 04, the forces raided a house in Gaddagi area of Keelkore, district Panjgur, and abducted Asim son of Malang.
On Nov 05, two brothers Behroz and Nobahar, sons of late Sarwar, former leader of the Balochistan National Party, were whisked away by the personnel of the Frontier Corps from district Noshki.
The same day, another man, Miyadad son of Rasool Bakhsh, was abducted by the intelligence agencies from Hub Chowki. He was a resident of Jhao and had gone to Hub Chowki for treatment.
On Nov 06, a large number of security forces cordoned off the Sardar Elahi Bakhsh village of district Noshki and whisked away five people including two sons of Sardar Elahi Bakhsh, chief of the village. The abductees were identified as Sardar Farooq and Hafiz Mohammad, sons of Sardar Elahi Bakhsh, Sulaiman & Shoaib of Haji Kamal, and Rabbani son of Muhammad Azeem. The forces looted valuables, including cars, mobile phones, and millions of rupees in cash during the raid.
The same day, three more people were picked up by the personnel of security forces and intelligence agencies during two separate raids. Ali Nawaz Almar and Gazzain Shahnawaz were whisked away from Shahrag area of Harnai, and Rashid Hussain son of Wahid Bakhsh from Panjgur.
On Nov 07, the personnel of security forces and secret agencies detained a total number of fifteen people from Golimar, Maripur and Malir areas of Karachi, and shifted them to unknown locations. Till the filing of this report, we could only confirm the identification of three as Nabi, a resident of Kalari, Adnan Siddique and Samiullah, residents of Faqir Colony of Karachi.
Separately, personnel of intelligence agencies forcibly disappeared Aslam Baloch, a student, and a resident of Allahabad Town of the industrial city of Hub.
On Nov 09, four people went missing from the military camp of Jhao, district Awaran, where they were summoned by the military forces. The victims were identified as Kacho and Azum sons of Karim Bakhsh and Waheed and Sadiq sons of Umar. As per the details, their houses were also raided by the security forces a day earlier and they were not at home.
During the same day, the forces picked up another man, Bilal Zehri, a student, and a resident of Zehri, Khuzdar, from Hub.
On Nov 10, personnel of the security forces along with local death squad members raided a house in Parwar area of Mashkay and abducted two brothers, Muhammad Isa and Abdul Haq.
On Nov 11, the forces whisked away Abdul Wahab Bugti, Anwar son of Mahmood, Hussain son of Gaji Khan, Naseer and Imdad, 10, sons of Yusuf from Mashkay area of district Awaran. Bugti was later released while others are still missing.
On Nov 14, Gul Hassan Siyapad son of Allah Bakhsh was taken away by the security forces during a raid on his house in Killi Khudai Rahim, Dalbandin.
On Nov 16, six people including three minors were abducted by the security forces from Kolwah Jath area of district Kech. The victims have been identified as 7-year-old Yaro son of Lal Bakhsh, 9-year-old Shaukat son of Lal Bakhsh, 12-year-old Lal Bakhsh son of Babul, Imam son of Manzoor, Waheed and Saeed Ahmed sons of Hashim.
The same day, three others were forcibly disappeared by the security forces. Ikhlaq son of Nawaz Ali was whisked away from Absar area of Turbat, while Pir Muhammad of Qadir Bakhsh and Badal Roshan were picked up from Shapkol military camp of Kohlwah where they were called to appear by the army and never came back.
On Nov 18, Pakistani forces detained two women from Shapkol area of Kolwah and forcibly disappeared them. The victims have been identified as Burpi and Nehal. However, there is no further information regarding their whereabouts yet.
Similarly, Pindal son of Dilmurad went missing from Askani Bazaar of Turbat, district Kech after being detained by military forces.
On Nov 19, Rabnawaz Satakzai was forcibly disappeared by the personnel of the Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies from Quetta.
On Nov 23, Amir son of Muhammad Akbar was arrested by the police from a petrol pump in Gaddani area of Hub, and then handed over to the intelligence agencies. Since then, he has been missing.
On Nov 24, Ali Nawaz, a businessman, was whisked away from the army camp in Jhao where he was summoned by the army. Since then, his whereabouts remains unknown.
On Nov 26, the forces abducted a shopkeeper, Babar Qambrani, from Sariab Road, Quetta.
On Nov 29, personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the police severely tortured Noshad son of Hassan Khan and took him away along with his motorcycle.
On Nov 30, Bhazad son of Barkat Dilawari was forcibly disappeared by the Frontier Corps from the central Bazaar of Chitkan, district Panjgur.
Sometimes, we are unable to receive information on time due to the poor internet service and media blackout in many parts of Balochistan.
Sajjad son of Lal Bakhsh was abducted on 02 September by the intelligence agencies from district Panjgur.
Killings:
In November, a total number of 24 cases of killings were reported across Balochistan. However, we could only confirm fourteen of them, while ten still remain unidentified.
Ten people were killed in target killings (mostly carried out by unknown militants), and two were killed by Baloch separatist groups.
These killings also include four cases of fake encounters—allegedly carried out by the CTD.
Moreover, seven mutilated dead bodies were found from different areas, four of them were recognized as Kamalan, Muhammad Aslam, Muhammad Umar, and Nako Nabi, while the remaining three have still not been identified.
Moreover, we are extremely concerned regarding the six-month long blockade of Toba and Solair villages of Gichk area of Balochistan by the military of Pakistan. The area is completely under the siege of the army for the past six months and no one is allowed to enter or exit the villages without the army’s permission. The villagers are starving as they need the army’s signature for purchasing even 1 kg of flour. Overall, disturbing reports of human rights violations are being reported including torture and killings. In a recent case, the military forces summoned a villager named Akhtar son of Raza Mohammad to the Army camp, inhumanly tortured him to death and threw his dead body.
Gwadar Protest:
For the past four weeks, people have been protesting in the port city of Gwadar for their basic rights that have been ignored by the government.
Thousands of people from all walks of life joined the protest led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rahman Baloch for the basic rights of the people. They demanded their basic rights that they have been deprived of since the beginning.
CPEC was said to be a fate changer for the people of Gwadar by promising most of the jobs to the locals, but since the launch of the project, local fishermen have struggled the most as Chinese illegal fishing trawlers have depleted the fish, the main source of income for almost the entire population of Gwadar. They are demanding clean drinking water, electricity, and a university.
The protestors demanded a complete ban on illegal fishing trawlers, reopening of the Iranian trade route, removal of unnecessary security check-posts, and release of forcibly disappeared persons.
They said that they will further expand the protest to the entire province until their demands are met by the government.
