During the month of February 2023, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) received reports of the enforced disappearance of at least fifty-two people including three women and three children. Ten of the abductees were later released whereas, the whereabouts of forty-two people remain unknown. HRCB also received reports of killing of at least forty-two people including three women.
Moreover, the forces continue to victimize women and children as part of Collective Punishment to silence dissent voices. On February 17, the police’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) raided the house of the mother of Bibi Gul, the Chairperson of HRCB, and whisked away her mother Mahnaz, niece Banadi, sister-in-law Mahal, and Mahal’s two daughters, Nugrah and Nazenk. Rest of them were released the next day, but Mahal Baloch was framed in a fabricated case. Since then Mahal Baloch is in police’s custody.
Earlier on February 03, forces raided a house in the Killi Gishkori area of Saryab road Quetta and whisked away a family. The victims include Rahim Zehri, his wife Rasheeda Zehri, his mother Bibi Bus Khatoon, one-year-old daughter Dua Zehri, and four-year-old son Yahya Zehri. Rahim’s mother and children were released after two days while his wife Rasheeda was kept in incommunicado detention for eleven days. She was released later without any explanation, while whereabouts of her husband, Rahim Zehri are unknown since then.
On the same day, police CTD attempted to detain Abdul Hafeez Baloch after he was acquitted by the court, of the false charges fabricated against him. The personnel used brute force on his family when they resisted his abduction, resulting in the injury of Abdul Hafeez and his siblings. He was involuntarily disappeared by Dubai authorities in January 2022 and was later deported to Pakistan illegally, where he was framed in a bogus case of carrying a gun and had been in prison since then.
Enforced Disappearances:
On 04 February, armed men dressed in plain clothes whisked away a young man named Ali Nawaz son of Muhammad Umar, a resident of Mangochar, from Johan Road in the Mangochar area of Kalat.
On 05 February, the forces surrounded Mand Mahir and raided several houses. According to residents, women and children were beaten up during the house search. Moreover, during the raid, Wahid son of Wali Dad was taken into custody and shifted to an unknown location.
On 06 February, According to reports, nine residents of Keelkore Syahag Kaur were whisked away from the Kasht Pozag check post by security forces. The rest of the abductees were released while Khan Mohammad son of Mohammad Ali and Dildar son of Khudadad whereabouts are still unknown.
On 07 February, security forces abducted Aurangzeb son of Master Siraj, a resident of Sardo Panjgur, from the Gulshan Mazdoor area of Karachi and transferred him to an unknown location. Earlier, he was detained by forces from Karachi on June 2, 2020, and released after being detained for 8 months. During his detention, he was subjected to inhuman torture.
On 08 February, unknown armed persons in a surf vehicle abducted Shoaib son of Ayub a resident of Khudabadan from the Khudabadan Mawach Chowk area of Panjgur. No investigation has been carried out by the police.
On 09 February, Pakistani forces raided several villages of Mashkay and abducted three people who are identified as Khudadad, a resident of Choten, Sabzal son of Dilmurad, a resident of Kunari, and Mazar, a resident of Shandi.
On 10 February, the Pakistani security forces whisked away Zaman Baloch from Turbat city of district Kech and shifted him to an unknown location. After continuous protests and blockade of the western route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the police CTD claimed his possession and framed him in a bogus case. On February 25, he was released on bail. Zaman, his brother, and two other cousins were abducted by forces in June 2020 too. He was kept in incommunicado detention for six months and later released without any explanation. Zaman’s father Sipahan was also shot dead by forces during a military operation in 2016.
Similarly, on 13 February, Subhan Qaisrani and Masood Rehman Qaisrani, who were abducted by Pakistani forces on 16 January 2023 from Quetta, were framed in a bogus case by police CTD. The police demanded an extension of their physical remand to complete the investigation. So far, they were not presented to the court again.
On 14 February, According to sources, Pakistani forces raided Abdul Samad’s house in the Gwak area of Mand district Kech and after checking the identity cards took his son Hasil into custody. Since then, his whereabouts are unknown.
On 16 February, According to reports, Mali son Faqir Dilshad Marri was abducted by Pakistani forces from Harnai during a raid on his house. He is a herdsman by profession.
On 16 February, Pakistan forces forcibly disappeared a father along with his two sons and son-in-law from the Gichk area of Panjgur district. They were identified as Jangian and his sons Waheed, and Naseeb and son-in-law Manzoor Dad Karim. According to sources, the forces summoned the people of the area to their camp and subjected them to severe torture, a routine that the army imposed on the villagers to provide attendance every now and then where they were humiliated and beaten up. The rest of the villagers were released while Jangian with his son and son-in-law were detained. They are nomads and used to herd in the hilly area of Gedu, from where the forces forced them to migrate in 2020. They settled in the Kalari area of Gichk near the forces camp.
On 19 February, Yahya Salam son of Salam a resident of Khudabadan was tortured and taken away by armed men in a surf vehicle near Haji Naseer Mosque in district Panjgur.
On 22 February, two brothers Dad Shah and Saeedullah son of Muhammad Yaqub were shifted to an unknown location by the Pakistani forces after detaining them during a raid in the Karki Dal area of Gichk. During the raid, the forces also severely tortured the parents of the victims.
On 22 February, during a raid in Jiwani Panwan, six persons have been detained by the forces and shifted to an unknown location. They are identified as Nazeer son of Ahmed and Faisal son of Abdul, Rashid son of Pashambe, Qadeer Ahmed son of Aziz Ahmed, Kamran son of Rahim Bakhsh and a teenage Rizwan son of Moli.
On 22 February, Pakistani security forces summoned Faiz Muhammad son of Dilmurad a resident of Bundoki Peerbaksh area of Mashkay, and Hasil son of Muhamad Hassan a resident of Shardohi area of Mashkay to the army camp. Their whereabouts remain unknown since then.
On 23 February, Pakistani security forces summoned Umaid son of Abdain, a resident of Elahi Baksh Goth, to the army camp in Jhao. During the summon he was detained and since then his whereabouts are unknown. In an earlier summon he was detained, subjected to inhuman torture, and later released half-dead. His family is concerned for his safety and well-being.
On 26 February, Arshad son of Naseer was abducted by Pakistani forces during a raid at night in the Gomazi area of district Kech. The forces used brute force on women and children after detaining Arshad.
Killed:
During the month of February, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan received partial information about the killing of thirty-seven people including two women across Balochistan. Frontier Corps killed two civilians, 2 mutilated bodies were found, one person was shot dead by the Levies force, eight militants were killed in an encounter with forces, four people died in a bomb explosion while the rest including four coal miners were targeted, and killed.
On 01 February, a mutilated body was found in the Dak area near Chagai. The body was identified as Pirak son of Rais Khan. He was shot three times.
On 05 February, Pakistani forces opened fire on a moving vehicle in Mashkeel Corps, as a result of which Noor Ahmad Kashani son of Abdul Ghaffar Kashani, a resident of Dalbundin Sorgeer, was killed, Meanwhile, two other residents of Dalbandin who were in the same vehicle, Abdul son of Samad and Karim son of Noor Khan was injured in the firing.
On 16 February, unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire on a vehicle in the Seidan area of Panjgur. A woman died as a result of the firing, the dead woman is said to be a resident of Parom. However, the motive behind the incident remained unknown.
On 17 February, the dead body of forcibly disappeared Dadbaksh Miskan was found. He was detained during a summon by forces in the Gishkore army camp four days before his body was found. According to the locals, he was subjected to inhuman torture for four days and later released in critical condition. He succumbed to injuries on his way back home.
On 20 February, three dead bodies including a woman were recovered from the Hajikot area of Barkhan. According to the police, the bodies were dumped in a well. The police shifted the bodies to a local hospital where the bodies were identified as 18-year-old Amira Bibi, Mohammad Nawaz Marri, and Abdul Qadir Marri. Both Mohammad Nawaz and Abdul Qadir were sons of Khan Mohammad Marri, an employee of provincial minister Abdul Rehman Khetran who held them in his private prison since 2019. The post-mortem report revealed that Amira Bibi was raped, shot three times in the head, and pour acid on his face before dumping her in the well.
After several days of protestors, the police raided the minster’s home where they recover the other five members of Khan Mohammad Marri. The minister was also arrested and a trial in underway.
On 24 February, the body of the missing Sazuddin Babar was recovered by the police and shifted to the hospital. Police say that Sazudding was shot with three bullets and killed. The police recovered the body from Kili Karuti however no further investigation has been made so far.
On 26 February, four people were killed and 12 injured as a result of an explosion in the Rakhni Bazar area of Barkhan. According to DC Barkhan Abdullah Khosa, the explosives were planted on a motorcycle.
On 27 February, unknown militants attack the Harnai coal mines and as a result, four coal miners were killed while three others were injured. The assailants also set fire to various mine machinery before escaping.
Released:
On 01 February, Nadil Hussain, who was abducted by Pakistani forces from Turbat on 30 December 2022, was released and reached home.
On 20 February, Muhammad Riaz son of Faqir Muhammad Nichari, and Muhammad Azam son of Abdul Qadir Nichari were released who were abducted from Quetta on 21 November 2017.
