Helicopters shelling, Military operation in Kolwah Balochistan

Kolwah, area of District Kech, Mekran Balochistan is under heavy Military operation since early Monday morning. ‘Balor, Sigik, Kadd e hotel’ and more than a dozen villages are under the siege. All the communication lines are blocked.

More than 50 Army vehicles with six Gunship helicopters are taking part in the operation. Helicopters are continuously shelling the mountainous areas and forces are moving from Kolwah to Hoshab, which covers almost more than 50 KMs.

There is news of civilian casualties in the shelling by helicopters. The details are to come yet.

Every such operation has ended up with dozens of civilians killed and went missing in the past. This operation will also add hundreds names in the list of missing people or perhaps dozens in list of people killed.

It is usual tactic of Pakistani forces in Balochistan, that Pakistan’s security forces siege the areas, shell the villages in which mostly civilians get killed or injured. And at the end, Army calls it a battle between Baloch separatists and the security forces.

Since a long time Baloch organizations have been appealing to international media and HR organizations to visit Balochistan and confirm the situation, but no media or any HR organization has yet succeeded to reach and collect the real reports from Balochistan.

Human Rights Council of Balochistan (Hakkpaan) is a non-profit and non-partisan human rights group based in Balochistan and Sweden. It collects reports from Balochistan, a region Pakistan government does not allow any media and HR group to visit and report. Human rights violations in Balochistan is not a new phenomenon, but it got its worst levels after the Military coup de tat of Pakistan in 1999. Thousands of Baloch have been reported missing, hundreds killed in fake encounters and so-called kill and dump policy of the military. HRCB collects the data from Balochistan itself, through its network of volunteers and supporters, organizes and reports them to the human rights mechanisms of the world.