Balochistan: 62 disappeared, 25 killed in June 2024

Balochistan: 62 disappeared, 25 killed in June 2024

In June 2024, Balochistan experienced significant human rights violations, with 62 enforced disappearances and 25 killings reported across the region. The victims ranged from students to professionals, subjected to arbitrary detention and abduction by Pakistani security forces and local militias. The region witnessed targeted killings, custodial deaths, and honor-related murders.

Enforced Disappearances

Among the 62 forcibly disappeared individuals, 18 were released, and two were killed. The victims included 18 students and individuals from various professions. The primary perpetrators were Pakistani security forces, notably the Frontier Corps (FC), intelligence agencies, armed men, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), and death squads,  using methods such as house raids and detentions. Key affected districts included Kech, Dera Bugti, and Nushki.

01 June: Abdul Hayee, son of Haji Mohammad Aslam Bedi was abducted by Pakistani security forces from district Awaran. In Sui, Dera Bugti, Noorullah, son of Siedan Bugti, and Shah Hussain, son of Turkwan Bugti, a police constable, were detained and then disappeared by the CTD. Noorullah had previously been abducted on December 19, 2023.

03 June: Sewa, son of Fazal Muhammad from Sui, Dera Bugti, disappeared after being detained by Pakistani security forces. On the same day, Waheed Baloch, a student from Alandor area of Buleda in Kech district, was also detained and subsequently disappeared.

04 June: Hanif Baloch, a gold medalist from the Islamic University of Punjab, Bahawalpur, was forcibly disappeared from Barkhan. His brother, Saeed Baloch, was detained on June 7 and both were released on June 10. Anisur Rehman, a computer science graduate, was abducted from a café in Khuzdar and later presented in court by the CTD on June 13. Nadeem Abdullah and Mohsin Obaidullah, who had previously disappeared, were re-arrested and disappeared again by Pakistani forces in Dasht, Kech. Dad Shah, son of Abid Rahim from Turbat, was also detained and disappeared.

05 June: Moj Ali Bugti, a tribal leader from Mohammad Colony in Sui, Dera Bugti, was abducted during a raid by FC. Mohammad Hashim, son of Lal Mohammad, a shopkeeper, and Kareem, a laborer from Kolenj village in Nondara, were taken during a raid. Nazir Ahmed, son of Master Muhammad Deen was detained and disappeared from Wadh, Khuzdar. Yaqoob, son of Siddique went missing after a raid by FC in Dhadar. Miran Sawali, a student from Gwadar, was detained and disappeared but handed over to the CTD on June 10 and released on June 27.

07 June: Khairullah, son of Murad Bugti, was forcibly disappeared after being tortured by forces at Shah Zain Pump in Dera Bugti. Two students, Danish, son of Iqbal from Panjgur, and Farhad Ahmed, son of Mohammed Tariq from Dalbandin, were reported missing after being detained by security forces in Sargodha. Danish and Farhad were later released.

10 June: Qadeer, son of Haji Mohammad Ibrahim, was abducted by security forces from Washuk, Mashkel, Amanullah, son of Abdullah Sumalani from Kili Jamaldini, Nushki, and Abdul Rasheed Marri, son of Malik Dad, was forcibly disappeared from Chalu Bawri, Satellite Town Quetta.

11 June: Jafar, son of Malhar Bugti was disappeared by security forces from Dera Bugti. The same day, Dr. Shahid and Saif Baloch, cousins, were detained by the intelligence agencies from Taunsa Sharif. 

12 June: A student and a shopkeeper, Changiz, son of Waris from Gwadar, and Diljan, son of Allah Bakhsh from Teertij, Awaran, were separately detained by the FC and subsequently disappeared. 

13 June: Abdullah, a teenage student from Faqir Colony, Gwadar, was forcibly disappeared by the security forces. Ali Ahmad, son of Zarif, was detained by forces during a raid in Shahi Tump, Kech. Asif, son of Qasim, was abducted by the CTD in Askani Bazar, Apsar, but was later released on July 2.

14 June: Three teenage students, Zamid Baloch, son of Abdul Majeed, Saeed Baloch, son of Mussa, and Farhad Baloch, son of Ghafoor, were forcibly disappeared during a raid in Talokan area of Balicha, Tump. The same day, another student from Tump, Zubair son of Mohammad was also abducted by the forces. Mehran, son of Saghir from Zamuran Bazar, Balicha, was abducted while traveling to Turbat.

15 June: Brahmadag Nawaz, a student from Dazan, Tump, was forcibly disappeared for the second time by security forces. He was released on June 19.

16 June: Two brothers, Sadiq, a student, and Shah Jan, sons of Noorullah, were abducted by the FC from Gilli area of Buleda, Kech. Both were later released.

18 June: Naveed, son of Lal Baksh from Hoshab, was forcibly disappeared by government-backed death squads. His body was found on June 21.

20 June: Bilal Baloch and Fazal Baloch, sons of Ghulam Jan from Kili Tagzi, Kharan, were detained and disappeared by security forces. Abdul Qadir, son of Khair Muhammad Mirwani, and Abdul Nabi, son of Abdul Ghafoor, were abducted by state-sponsored death squad members in Naghad, Surab. Their families launched and sustained protests demanding the release of their loved ones until officials assured them of their impending release. Tragically, Qadir’s body was discovered on June 22, while Abdul Nabi was found injured. The same day, Aqeel, a young man from Turbat Mullai Bazar, who had been forcibly disappeared twice by the Pakistani army, sadly tragically committed suicide.

22 June: Khaliq, son of Gul Hussain Bugti from Dera Bugti city, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces. His father, Gul Hassan, was disappeared in 2012 and is still missing.

23 June: Bahadur Bashir, a student from Pasni, Gwadar, was forcibly disappeared by security forces. He was released on July 3. Six youths from Nushki were forcibly disappeared after a picnic at Ziarat, Noshki. The victims, Zia-ur-Rehman, Shoaib, Ubaid laborers, Umair, Khalid students, and Usman mechanic, were all released on June 29.

25 June: two brothers, Ahmad Ali and Nawaz Ali, sons of Dilawar Bugti from Dera Bugti town, detained by the forces and disappeared.

26 June: Bilal and Khalid, cousins, were detained and disappeared by security forces in Kili Jhal Gaid, Kharan. Bilal was summoned by the MI officer of the area, and when he ignored the call, the forces raided their area and disappeared them. Shahdad Ismail, a resident of Hub Chowki, Amirabad,​ forcibly disappeared by intelligence agencies on February 9, was reported missing in June.

27 June: Waleed Yousuf, a student from Askani Bazar, Apsar, was detained and then disappeared by the FC during a raid at his house. Zaheer Ahmed, son of Dr. Haji Abdullah, went missing from Quetta. His wife reported continuous harassment and multiple raids on their house.

28 June: Dilawar Momin was abducted by the FC from Balochi Bazar while washing his car. He was an oil trader.

30 June: Muhammad Arif, son of Pir Bakhsh, a laborer, was taken by forces from Ziarat, Apsar, Turbat. Abdullah, son of Abdul Malik from Korak Jhao, was abducted by local death squads while working at a hotel in Bagh Bazar.

Killings

During the month, Balochistan witnessed a total of eleven targeted killings across various districts. These incidents included four in Kech, two each in Panjgur, Awaran, and Kalat, and one in Naseerabad. Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for two killings each, accusing them of being state facilitators, while the perpetrators in the remaining incidents remain unidentified.

Honor killings were also prevalent during the month, resulting in seven fatalities. These incidents occurred in Kohlu, Dera Murad Jamali, Usta Muhammad, and Bolan. The victims included five females, one of whom was a 13-year-old girl, and two men. 

Two previously disappeared persons who were abducted by the state backed militias and agencies, were killed in the custody. Abdul Qadir and Abdul Nabi, who had been forcibly disappeared from the Naghad area of the Surab district, Abdul Qadir was found dead with signs of torture on June 22 while Abdul Nabi was discovered injured. In another incident, Naveed, detained by death squads from Hoshap on June 18, was found dead with gunshot wounds near Pulabad Jurkan Kaur in Panjgur on June 21 .

Abdul Mohammad Aduzai, who went missing from Quetta a month ago, was found dead in Golestan on June 4. His body was discovered dumped in an old well. According to relatives, he disappeared from the Quetta-Karachi Road a month ago.

Several unidentified bodies were also discovered during the month. A mutilated corpse, estimated to be two to three months old, was found in Tump. Another body was found near Mishkaf station in Dhader and handed over to authorities in Sibi. A third body, found near zero point in Uthal, Lasbela, was three days old. Furthermore, a fourth unidentified body was brought to Civil Hospital in Gwadar.