During the month of September, a distressing total of 74 people, including students, were subjected to enforced disappearances by Pakistan’s paramilitary forces, primarily the Frontier Corps (FC). Dera Bugti witnessed the highest number of such incidents, with 39 cases reported. Tragically, the same month also witnessed a grim upturn in fatalities, with a total of 95 lives lost, including 55 fatalities resulting from a terrorist attack in Mastung.
Enforced disappearances:
On September 8th, six footballers and residents of the Sui area in Dera Bugti, identified as Aamir son of Zakir Hassan, Faisal son of Hanif Laghani, Sohail Ahmed, Omar Bakhsh, Yasir son of Dad Mohammad, and Babar son of Dota were abducted by a Baloch separatist group known as the Baloch Liberation Tigers (BLT) while they were on their way to Sibi. Later on, four of them were later released on September 29th, but the whereabouts of the remaining two still remain unknown. The group also claimed the abduction of two more people named Baz Muhammad son of Todo Mandwani Bugti and Niaz Ali.
In response, on September 9th, Pakistan’s military forces cordoned off and launched extensive operations in various parts of the district, resulting in the disappearance of dozens of civilians. As of now, there are no reports indicating the conclusion of the operation, which is still ongoing. The actual number of cases may be higher, but due to the suspension of internet services, only 33 of victims have been identified so far. These individuals include Liaqat s/o Paro Bugti, Dr. Jamak s/o Washu Bugti, Yar Khan s/o Shah Ali, Noor Mohammad and Ali Mohammad s/o Dilmurad, Imam Bakhsh and his son Imam Deen Bugti, Jaurak s/o Jan Mohammad, Pir Bakhsh s/o Jalal, Naseer s/o Thara, Niaz s/o Miskan, Ali Gul s/o Saif Din, Wahid Bakhsh s/o Deen Mohammad, Ali Bakhsh and his son Shahmir, Aziz Bugti, Babul Bugti, Sulaiman Bugti, Lotta and Deen Mohammad, sons of Jawansal Bugti, Sharif s/o Ghaos Bugti, Farooq s/o Brahim, Ali Bakhsh s/o Ali Khan, Mian Khan s/o Saleh Bugti, Bijar s/o Sabzal Bugti, Ali Dost s/o Suri Bugti, Yaqoob s/o Shahmor, Karim Bakhsh and Mustafa, sons of Ghulam Rasool, Patan s/o Marzan and his nephew, Hashim s/o Suri Bugti. The whereabouts of these individuals still remain unknown. These operations often lead to the extrajudicial killing of civilians in staged encounters, causing grave concern among the victims’ families. It is important to note that Hashim, son of Suri Bugti, had lost his father in 2008 at the hands of Pakistani security forces, and his current whereabouts also remain unknown, causing further distress to his family.
Eight people were forcibly disappeared from different areas of District Kech. Five among them, identified as Sabir Umeed, resident of Hoshap, Mohammad Khan, a driver from Shapkol, Samiullah from Meri Kalat, Jan Mohammad from Mand and 17-year-old Yasir Nijam, a shopkeeper from absar were abducted by the Frontier Corps during raids. While two students, Qasim and Mir Khan from Tijaban and Razaq Baloch were picked up by unknown armed militants from Askani Bazar.
Six civilians were forcibly disappeared from District Awaran by the personnel of FC. Huzoor Bakhsh, Azim Dad, Sajjad, and Ibrahim were abducted during house raids. Rasool Bakhsh was taken away from his work field, and Khuda Rahm Hasil was summoned to a military camp and then disappeared.
In addition, six others were detained by the FC and intelligence agencies from Gwadar and Karachi. Shahzad Asghar was detained and then disappeared from Mastani Raik Bazar School in Pasni, where he worked as a peon. Kamalan, son of Gul Muhammad, and Miran, son of Hussain, were picked up from Gwadar city, while Samir, son of Niamat and cousin of Miran, was taken away from Karachi. All of them were residents of Kech. Two more people, Abdullah, an engineer, and Hammal Yaqoob, were abducted by secret agencies.
Furthermore, the forces detained Malik Junaid, a student, Abdul Latif Bangulzai, a rickshaw driver, and Ghulam Haider, son of Karam Khan Nichari, from different areas of Mastung and then disappeared them.
Subdar, son of Gulzar Tingani, was disappeared by the Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies from Harnai Bazar, while Dalilo, son of Washo, was picked up from Shahrig road in Harnai.
Three people were abducted during a military search operation in the New-Kahan area of Quetta. The victims were identified as Aslam, son of Faiz Muhammad Marri, Khaliq, son of Juma Khan Marri, and Liaqat, son of Dost Muhammad Marri.
Forces detained and then disappeared four people from Hub and Panjgur. Asif Murad and Kawish Hussain were detained from the Pathan Chowk area of Hub Chowki, while Sabeer Sharif and Taalim Talib were picked up from the Garmkan area of Panjgur.
Mazar Khan Sasoli, a resident of Sasoli Shor Parud Kalat, was abducted by FC personnel during a raid on his house. Sasoli had been a previous victim of enforced disappearances and was freshly released last year after seven long years of torture in the military’s custody.
Ameer Bakhsh and his maternal uncle, Khuda Bakhsh Zehri, were forcibly disappeared by FC and secret agencies from Khuzdar’s Baghbana area. Ameer was later killed in a fake encounter, while his uncle, Khuda Bakhsh Zehri, remains missing.
Killings:
September witnessed 95 reported killings, with 31 identified victims and 64 yet to be identified.
A devastating blast near Madina Mosque during a religious procession in Mastung claimed 55 lives, and injured dozens of civilians.
Ten people fell victim to fake encounters, and all of them were previously abducted persons with no proven connections to militant groups, as claimed by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). These extrajudicial killings are often carried out when confronted with separatist groups or sometimes with the frustration caused in clashes with separatists, these missing persons are ruthlessly executed and buried without proper identification, further deepening the suffering of affected families who stage daily protests, appealing for the safe recovery of their loved ones, and they only receive their dead bodies in return.
On 01 September, the CTD claimed to have killed five militants in an encounter in district Washuk. The victims were identified as Muhammad Yasin, Fahad Ali, Jamal Deen, Obaidullah, and Zakir Rahmat. Notably, all of the victims were previously disappeared persons, abducted the by law enforcement agencies. Zakir was blind who was taken away on 13 June, this year, by the FC personnel from the Bunestan area of Panjgur along with another person named Waseem son of Abdeen who is still missing. On the same day, the CTD claimed to have killed three individuals affiliated with ISIS in Quetta. One of them was identified as Uttar Khan Bangulzai, whose family claimed that he was forcibly taken away by the CTD and intelligence agencies 25 days earlier during a raid on their home in Mastung.
On 16 September, in Khuzdar and Jafarabad, another staged-encounter by CTD resulted in the killing of four people. Two of the victims were identified as Ameer Bakhsh and Ijaz Ahmed. Ijaz was whisked away during a military raid on his house in Mangochar area of Kalat on August 23, while Ameer was forcibly disappeared from the Baghbana area of Khuzdar on September 5, along with his uncle Khuda Bakhsh Zehri, who is still missing.
Nine people including a woman fell victim to unknown armed assailants in target killings. Another woman lost her life due to indiscriminate police firing in Turbat area of Kech. Additionally, during a raid in Gunko, Zehri, Khuzdar, a man named Mehrullah Mengal was fatally shot by Levies forces. His family staged a protest along with the dead body, demanding action against the Levies officials responsible for his death.
One person died in a landmine explosion, and the bodies of a man and a woman were found mutilated in Harnai and Hub. A distressing incident involved the rape and murder of an 8-year-old child named Humaira in Nal area of Khuzdar.
Five people were killed by Baloch Separatist groups, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLF). They were declared facilitators of state agencies and forces by these groups. And six people, allegedly from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and ISIS were killed by the CTD in Quetta and Mastung.
A truck driver, named Mohammad Qasim, hailing from Qila Abdullah, was shot and killed by Customs officials near Quetta’s Hockey Chowk. The family alleges that they were intimidated and offered government jobs to dissuade them from filing a complaint.
