Baloch Human Rights Organization has issued its semi-annual report of human rights violations in Balochistan. It states that in the first six months of 2017, 259 people were killed in Balochistan. BHRO received reports of 118 people, killed by forces during military operations, 46 mutilated bodies of political activists were also recovered, extra judicially executed by forces in custody, including 2 teachers, Baitullah s/o Mehmood and Hasil s/o Qasim.
In the month of February, a mass grave was recovered from Dera Bugti in which 4 people were buried including a woman. According to locals, all 4 of them were abducted by forces. 56 people were killed in enmity and unknown reasons. Other than these, 13 beyond recognizable bodies were also recovered from different areas of Balochistan and were buried without collecting any samples. In May, in a religious extremism attack, 26 people died including a journalist.
1302 people were forcefully disappeared in six months, abducted by forces from different areas of Balochistan. 272 enforced disappeared people were also released by forces.
Security forces burnt down and bulldozed hundreds of houses in various areas of Balochistan. Whereas, many families were forcefully expelled by security forces from their houses. District Awaran and district Kech are the most affected areas where hundreds of inhabitants were compelled to migrate. Many villages of Kolwah, district Awaran were vacant forcefully. In district Kech, hundreds of people from Hirronk, Tijaban, Shapuk, Dasht, Tump and Mand were compelled to leave their settlements and migrate. Majority of Dasht’s populace still can’t go back to their homes due to worse situation. Due to military operations and in fear of abduction, people have left their livestock and financial means and are living as refugees in Hub, Lasbela, Iran and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s media and human rights organization have completely ignored this important issue due to which international institutions didn’t succeeded in making policy to rehabilitate migrated people of Balochistan.
Thousands of people were forcefully disappeared from Balochistan so far in which, according to reports 5000 people were extra judicially executed and their mutilated bodies were dumped. Due to recovery of beyond recognizable bodies on daily basis, families of enforced disappeared people are going through mental trauma. They have concern that the recovered body could be the body of their loved one. Provincial government buries them without collecting their DNA sample for identification.
Provincial administration, in fear of military and Para-military forces, has failed in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities. Civil administration not only denies filing First Information Report (FIR) but also denies naming the aforementioned institutions in enforced disappearance cases. Due to this situation, people of Balochistan have lost their faith in state’s institutions. If the government continues to fail in providing safety and constitutional rights to the people of Balochistan then its negative impact will make the already worse situation of Balochistan more critical.
The issue of human rights violations in Balochistan is a critical issue and for its solution, Federal and Provincial government need to make an effective policy.
