In May 2024, Balochistan experienced a significant increase in human rights violations, with at least 95 cases of enforced disappearances reported across the province. The Frontier Corps (FC) was implicated in 62 of the abductions, while the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was involved in 26 cases. The remaining cases were attributed to intelligence agencies and death squad members. Disturbingly, only ten of the abducted individuals have resurfaced, and two of those were killed while in custody. Additionally, 50 killings were recorded during the month, including six women, with most of these murders carried out by unknown militants.
Enforced Disappearances:
Among the abductees were nine oil traders, six students, two farmers, a laborer, a bank employee, and a poet. The most vulnerable areas were Kech, Dera Bugti, Awaran, and Gwadar, which saw the highest numbers of these violations.
May 02: Pakistani security forces conducted a house-to-house search operation in Sui, district Dera Bugti, and forcibly disappeared two individuals, Rahimo Bugti and his son Ameer. Another person, Miro, son of Bashkiya Bugti, was abducted from Sui to Patfeedar Road area of Dera Bugti.
Forces abducted two more individuals, Shehzad Ubaid and Dawood Abdul Wahab from their hometown Niwanu, Zamuran.
The same day, women in Mashkay area of district Awaran took to the streets protesting the harassment and ill-treatment of local people by Pakistani security forces. They accuse the forces of forcibly detaining men, subjecting them to physical labor, and using them as human shields during clashes with Baloch independence activists.
May 3: Secret agencies abducted Javed, son of Munir, a resident of Dandar Kolwah, from in front of the Chenal Hotel in the central city of Kech. He worked as a cleaner for an oil tanker.
May 06: The Pakistani army forcibly detained and disappeared Muslim Rashid and Shahnawaz, two youths from district Awaran.
May 07: Local death squad groups detained Bashir, son of Molabakhsh and resident of Lakhi at gunpoint and disappeared him.
Two people, Adil Abdul Samad and Sohail Baloch, were forcibly disappeared by the forces in Pulabad area of Kech.
Forces detained and forcibly disappeared two cousins, Barkat Baloch, son of Ahmad Ali, and Hafeez, son of Muhammad Ali, from Dera Ghazi Khan. Both were involved in diesel trading. Barkat had been a victim of enforced disappearance in Lahore three years ago and was later recovered, but he has now disappeared once again.
The forces detained and disappeared a man named Muslim, son of Muhammad Rahim from district Gwadar. He was apprehended in front of a crowd at a busy market. Notably, he had previously been detained in June 2018 and was later hospitalized in critical condition.
May 09: Forces abducted Noor Ahmed, son of Syed Khan Sumalani, and Sahib Khan, son of Jalal Khan Sumalani, from the Reko area of Nushki while they were traveling to Nushki city. Both were involved in herding and farming.
Forces raided a house in the Chitkan area of Panjgur and forcibly whisked away Zahid Hussain, son of Khalid Hussain, a bank employee.
Another victim, Nizam Baloch, was forcibly disappeared by forces from Gwadar and later was released on May 13.
May 10: In the Siyaf area of Dera Bugti, the forces conducted raids, forcibly disappearing Zahoor, son of Noor Hussain Bugti, Dilawar, son of Zareen Bugti, Ahmed Ali, son of Dilawar Bugti, Nawaz Ali, son of Dilawar Bugti, Khaliq Gul Hussain Bugti, and Jalal, son of Lal Khan Bugti.
In Gwadar, security forces detained and disappeared individuals, including Samir, son of Hamza, Bilal, son of Raza Muhammad, Dur Muhammad, son of Karim Bakhsh, Amir, son of Aslam, and Aman, son of Jamadar, all residents of Surbandan, detained during a large-scale operation in the area.
Forces dressed as civilians detained and forcibly took away Javed, son of Muhammad Qasim, and Qamber, son of Murad, from Bidrang, Jhao. Qambar was eventually released.
Unidentified armed motorcyclists abducted Jahan, son of Naseer, at gunpoint in the Tump Gomazi area of Kech district.
May 11: Hayat Baloch, son of Juma Baloch and a graduate from the University of Agriculture, Water, and Marine Science, went missing after being detained by security forces in Turbat. He was abducted from his home in Turbat and later handed over to the CTD, which filed a false FIR against him.
May 12: Mohsin Baloch, son of Rahim Bakhsh, was forcibly abducted by forces from the Surbandan area of Gwadar.
May 13: Hatir, son of Nokap, was detained and then forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani army from the Hoshap area of Kech during a house raid.
Two other victims, Niaz, son of Abdul, and Bashir Ahmed, son of Abdul Ghani, were abducted by the forces from their home in Surbandan.
While Adam, son of Sumar from Balgatar Loop, went missing after secret agencies abducted him. Involved in the oil business, he was taken shortly after returning home from the border.
May 15: Forces conducted a search operation in Sui, detaining and relocating several individuals. They also ransacked houses and tortured residents. Among those detained are Dost Ali, Balach, Dilshad, Yasin, Saleh, Yusuf, and Popal.
Forces raided a house in Kech and forcefully took away Iqbal, son of Allah Dad. He has since gone missing, and during the raid, the forces also seized three mobile phones and a motorcycle.
May 16: Four individuals, including two brothers, were detained and disappeared by security forces from Mashkay. The victims are Amjad and Ali, sons of Zamindar Deen Muhammad, Baloch, son of Dil Murad, and Mehboob, son of Yar Jan. In reaction to these enforced disappearances, locals initiated a protest rally against forced disappearances from Gurjak to Malashband, during which Abdullah, son of Abdul Qadir, was detained and disappeared. Another person, Taj Muhammad, son of Muhammad Ibrahim, trying to ensure the safety of those who disappeared, went to the army camp, but he was also detained and disappeared. It’s worth noting that Yar Jan, the father of Mehboob, was killed in 2017 by government-backed death squad members. Abdullah was subsequently released. While others are missing.
Separately, forces abducted Kamran, son of Abdul Baqi, from the Mach area of Bolan. He was also released.
May 17: Rangers and secret agencies disappeared Rasool Bakhsh, son of Nik Muhammad, from the Maripur Grex area of Karachi.
Sangat Sana, a resident of Kili Jamaldini, area of Noshki, was detained and disappeared by security forces from March where he was working in a local hotel.
Forces detained two brothers, Saghir Sajjad and Qadeer Sajjad, during a raid from Turbat Meri Kalat and disappeared them. Both used to transport oil on the border. However, Qadeer Sajjad was later released while Saghir is still missing.
According to reports, Two weeks ago, the Pakistani army detained Saad, son of Musa, and Farhad, son of Ghafoor, from Tump Malant. Since then, both youths have disappeared.
May 18: Pakistani intelligence agencies and the CTD raided several houses in Sui, and abducted around 20 people, including Habibullah, son of Teli Khan Bugti, Alaman, son of Khanwand Baksh Bugti, Latif, son of Jowansal Bugti, and Ezzat Deen, son of Rahim Bakhsh Bugti.
The CTD apprehended and subsequently disappeared four individuals from the Apsar area of Turbat: Muhammad Saleh, son of Tariq, Imtiaz, son of Iqbal, Waseem, son of Hassan, and Ijaz, son of Umeed.
Forces detained and disappeared an elderly individual, Shikari Abdul Rahim, from Jamig, a hilly area of Tump, Turbat, Kech. He was released on May 23.
May 19: The young man, forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani army three months ago, 2024, and his disappearance came into light in May. Zameer, son of Zulfiqar and a resident of Kaler, Mashkay, was abducted on February 7.
Noorullah Samalani, son of Nooruddin, was detained and disappeared by Pakistani forces from Mach Bolan. Forces also confiscated his vehicle.
May 22: Muhammad Hayat Mengal, son of Shah Nazar Khan, was unlawfully detained by forces from Padangabad, Mastung, and subsequently disappeared.
Naz Bibi Zaman, a resident of Miani Kalat, Mashkay, was forcibly disappeared by the security forces. She was taken while delivering rations to her husband, who was camping in the nearby mountains to graze their sheep and goats.
May 23: The forces detained and disappeared Muhammad Waheed and Nusrat from the Gaya Dur area of Gwadar. Both are residents of the Kulanch area of Gwadar and are involved in the oil business.
Another resident of Kulanch, Aman Ali, son of Ali, was detained and disappeared by the security from Nalent area.
The forces detained and disappeared two more people from Gwadar. The victims, residents of Hinglaj, are Tariq, son of Murad Jan, and Hakeem, son of Majeed.
May 25: Two individuals, Akhtar, son of Khair Muhammad, and Yar Muhammad, son of Jalal, were detained by the forces from Dera Murad Jamali and taken to an undisclosed location. However, Yar Muhammad’s body was found on the 27th with signs of torture, while Akhtar is still missing.
May 27: The security forces forcibly disappeared Rafiq Sawali and ATF employee Faisal Sawali from their home in Turbat Koh Murad, damaging property and confiscating mobile phones. The CTD filed a false FIR against Faisal, prompting a family protest at the DC office in Turbat. Rafiq was released the next day on May 28.
May 29: Forces conducted a house-to-house search in Dasht, Kech, detaining several individuals, including Nemat, son of Dad Muhammad, Amir, son of Naseer Ahmed, Aman, son of Ali, Majeed, Nadeem, son of Abdullah, and Mohsin, son of Obaid. The operation spanned areas like Jam Muhammad Bazar, Malai Nagor, Zarin Bug, Sholig, and Front Bazar.
Forces raided Dinari Colony in Sui, abducting thirteen-year-old Sattar, son of Ali Mohammad Bugti, along with Ejaz, son of Sain Bakhsh Bugti, and Ehsan, son of Shiraz Jukrani.
Secret agencies in Quetta forcibly abducted six students from a room in Arif Plaza, A-One City. Three of them were released shortly, but Shayhaq, son of Kahoor Khan, and Wazeer, son of Nazir, who are cousins, were released later. However, their cousin Farooq, a 16-year-old son of Sakhi Dad, is still missing. They were residents of Kech and were residing in Quetta for educational purposes.
Ameer Bakhsh, son of Dost Muhammad, a poet from Gichk, Panjgur district, was abducted by security forces for the second time at the Peerander checkpoint area of Awaran. He was later released. He had endured enforced disappearance in 2020 as well and later forcibly transferred from Chib to Gichk Kahn by the security forces.
May 31: Security forces abducted Ali Baksh, son of Ali Khan Bugti, from Sui. This marks the second time he has been taken, following his abduction and torture ordeal last September, from which he was eventually released.
Killings:
The 50 killings recorded in May included numerous targeted killings, honor killings, old enmity cases, and extrajudicial killings mostly carried out by unknown militants, Pakistani, and Iranian forces. Among these, 25 victims have been identified, while the remaining 25 are yet to be confirmed.
Sixteen people, including a woman, lost their lives in targeted attacks by unknown assailants. Seven of these victims were from Punjab province and were killed in Gwadar.
Eight people were killed due to longstanding enmities: five in Naseerabad, one in Dera Murad Jamali, one in Suhbatpur, and one in Duki. Additionally, two people were killed over land disputes in Dera Bugti.
The month saw a disturbing rise in honor killings, with ten cases reported, including five women, occurring in Jhal Magsi, Dera Allah Yar, Mastung, Sibi, and Quetta.
A former militant was killed by the Balochistan Liberation Front in Tump, Turbat, for allegedly being an army informant.
A mutilated body was found in Panjgur’s Jalali area. The deceased, identified as Waseem Sabzal, who was killed for unknown reasons.
Three individuals, including the president of the Khuzdar Press Club, Siddique Mengal, who were injured in a bomb blast on Sultan Ibrahim Road in Khuzdar in April, succumbed to their injuries this month.
In Chaman, two people were killed by security forces during a protest against the government’s border policy. The protestors, known as “Laghdis,” were demonstrating against restrictions on border trade and inadequate security arrangements.
On May 29th, armed men in a white car shot and killed Balach, son of Nazir Ahmed Badini, near Nushki city. Balach, brother of poet Absar Baloch, had previously been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces on December 8th, last year but was later released.
On May 17, the body of Arsalan, a missing teacher from Panjgur, was found in Washuk Palantak. He was abducted on May 14.
Another forcibly disappeared person, Yar Muhammad, who was detained by the forces in Dera Murad Jamali along with Akhtar, was found dead. His body bore signs of severe torture.
Residents along the Iran-Pakistan border, who rely on the oil trade for their livelihood, face severe violence from security forces on both sides. These forces frequently close the border, open fire, seize belongings and vehicles, and abandon traders in desert areas without water. Recently, a 17-year-old from Khash, Iran, was shot dead by FC personnel on the Gold-Smith Line. Similarly, Iranian border guards killed four and injured six on the Mashkel border, and arrested two others.
