Balochistan: families are on sit-in hunger strike in Quetta. 93 forcibly disappeared, 29 killed in November 2018

Baloch Human Rights Organization (BHRO) and Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) have received partial details of 93 cases of enforced disappearance and 29 extrajudicial killings in Balochistan during the month of November 2018.

According to the details, Security forces forcefully disappeared 93 persons from Awaran, Gwadar, Kech, Khuzdar,Kharan, Panjgur, and Quetta districts of Balochistan. 12 persons were later released and 81 remained disappeared.

The victims of enforced disappearances include Jeand Baloch, Senior Joint Secretary of Baloch Students Organization (BSO). Jeand is a student of Sociology department in the BahauddinZakariya University (BZU). He was abducted along with his father Qayum Balochand younger brother Hasnain Baloch on 30 November at around 3:00 am from theirresidence in Quetta, Balochistan by security forces. However, Qayum Baloch wasreleased after 2 days while whereabouts of Jeand and Hasnain remain unknown.

In another raid on the same night,security forces raided a house in Killi Ibrahimzai, Quetta and abducted Amin Baloch. He is a medical student and a resident of district Awaran.

On 29 November, 16 people including minors were forcibly disappeared in a military operation, carried out in Jamak,Neyami Kallag, Sari Kallag, Gwarkop and Solani, district Kech. The abducteeswere identified as Dad Bakhsh s/o Karim Bakhsh, Waqar s/o Arz Mohammad, Younuss/o Illahi Dad and Faqeer Bakhsh residents of Jamak,  Rasool Bakhsh s/o Khuda Dad, Azeem s/oPathan, Altaf s/o Naik Bakht, Ghulam Qadir s/o Qismat and Ganj Bakhsh s/oKhater residents of Neyami Kallag, whereas, Ibrahim s/o Wahag of Sarri Kallag,Phullan s/o Sahib Dad, Yahya s/o Arz Mohammad, Ghulam Ali s/o Gohram, Jeand s/oDiljan are residents of Gwarkop and Majeed s/o Mehrab and Ghulam Jan s/o Bayan were picked up from Solani.

On 19 November unknown armed men abducted two including an aged man from a local passenger bus in Nushki. Boththe abductees were later identified as Hasan Khan and Saeed, residents ofLajjay, district Kharan. Eyewitnesses told the Police that a group of 8 armed men stopped the bus and whisked away Hasan Khan and Saeed.

Saeed (L) and Hasan Khan (R). Photo: TBP

On 13 November forces raided ahouse in Gawak, Mand and forcefully disappeared 80 years old Murad Jan s/o Gul Mohammad. According to the locals, it is the third time forces forcefully disappearing Murad Jan.

On 10 November forces raided a house in Apsar, Kech and abducted a student, Shakeel Mola Bakhsh. Women and children were severely tortured during the raid and all the valuables of the house were looted.

On 7 November 16 years old Fida Khalid and Qadir Bakhsh Khair Mohammad were whisked away during a search operation in Faqeer Colony, Gwadar. Both abductees are residents of Sholeeg Dasht, district Kech.

On 2 November security forces forcefully disappeared two students, Musaf Jado, and Tahir Sardo, on their way home. They are 15 and 20 years old respectively and are residents of Hirronk district Kech.

Musaf Jado and Tahir Sardo. Photo: Ashoob News

Twenty-Nine persons were killed during the month of November, twelve of them died in target killings by unknown gunmen in Awaran, Mastung, and Quetta districts of Balochistan. Nationalists often blame security forces for using armed criminal groups as its B-Team,technically called Death Squads, for the executions of their sympathizers. In some cases, persons abducted by unknown gunmen are brought back dead by the military.

6 bullet-riddled bodies were recovered in the month of November across Balochistan, out of which 5 persons mutilated bodies were found dumped. However, Balochistan Liberation Front, a militant organization claimed responsibility of killing of one person.

2 persons including a woman were killed in honor killing in district Naseerabad.

Nine dead bodies were also recovered during the month of November. However, the perpetrators and cause of these killings remain unknown.

On November 1, Seema Baluch and Zarina Baloch, sister and wife of disappeared Shabir Baloch respectively sat on token hunger strike for the safe recovery of Shabir Baloch in Quetta, capital of Balochistan. Their protest got momentum when the rally to Chief Minister house was barred to continue. Families of enforced disappeared persons from all over Balochistan have joined the token hunger strike camp for the safe release of their loved ones while on the otherside, the government authorities and representative have turned a blind eye towards the grievances of families. The families are committed to continue the camp as far as the whereabouts of their loved ones have not been revealed.

The government policy to silence every voice raised for the fundamental rights have resulted into enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of thousands of people in Pakistan. In recent months, the security forces have intensified military operations across Balochistan and subsequently an increase in enforced disappearance of people including women and children have been reported.

Human Rights Council of Balochistan (Hakkpaan) is a non-profit and non-partisan human rights group based in Balochistan and Sweden. It collects reports from Balochistan, a region Pakistan government does not allow any media and HR group to visit and report. Human rights violations in Balochistan is not a new phenomenon, but it got its worst levels after the Military coup de tat of Pakistan in 1999. Thousands of Baloch have been reported missing, hundreds killed in fake encounters and so-called kill and dump policy of the military. HRCB collects the data from Balochistan itself, through its network of volunteers and supporters, organizes and reports them to the human rights mechanisms of the world.