Balochistan: Military abduct a whole family and 40 others, injures 5 in mortar attacks, releases 19 previously disappeared persons

Five civilians were injured in Pakistan military’s indiscriminate mortar shelling towards the civil population of the village. On July 10, the security forces fired three long range mortars on Kohad village of Tump, district Kech of Balochistan in retaliation as their camp came under fire from militants. One of the mortars landed on the house of Mr. Abu Bakr. Four persons present at the house, Ms. Telyan Charshambay, Ms. Razia Mohammad, Ms. Shikha Wahid and Asrar Kifa, were reportedly injured by the mortar shells. The Government and local administration took no steps to get them treated.

Another mortar landed on Mohammad’s house and injured his daughter. The Third mortar landed and severely damaged Rasheed’s house however the residents of the house escaped uninjured.

 

Zameer. Photo: Ashoob

The security forces abducted an entire family from Mashkay area of district Awaran in Balochistan. The family was identified as of Mr. Allah Bakhsh, a political opponent whose views on Balochistan’s political and economic issues differ from that of Military’s imposed National Interests. On 3 July 2018, the security forces raided his house in Alangi area of Mashkay and abducted his 10 years old son Zameer from the house, after not finding him at home. Later on, on 22 July the forces raided the house again and whisked away his wife, Noor Malik along with two young daughters, Samina and Hasina from the house. Nothing is heard from the family so far. The abduction took place in front of the villagers. The military had asked the villagers to convey their message to Mr. Allah Bakhsh that he should come and report to the military in the main army camp, failing which his family would be killed.

Forty more cases of enforced disappearance were reported to us by the local sources from Kech, Gwadar and Awaran districts of Balochistan between 03 and 19, 2018.

On 28 July, forces abducted at least three persons who were going back to their homes late in the evening after attending a musical program and a wedding ceremony in Faqeer Colony Gwadar. The abductees were identified as Salman Mehrab, Naveed Ghulam and Faisal Ali Mohammad. All three are residents of Dasht district Kech.

Sajid Nabi Bakhsh and Doda Mujeeb. Photo: Ashoob

Sajid Nabi Bakhsh and Doda Mujeeb were abducted from Zero Point of Gwadar-Karachi highway when they were traveling in a bus from Karachi to Gwadar on 27 July 2018. later on 30 July both of them were released from Gwadar.

On July 14, Pakistani security forces abducted Munir Mazar from Pirrotag area of Hoshab, district Kech.

On July 13, forces abducted Didag Ali and Shahdad Azim from Bazdad, district Awaran.

Separately, forces abducted Dolat Hussain from Hirronk, district Kech on 13 July 2018.

On July 12, forces abducted Fazal Wahid Bakhsh and Ismail Pathan from Karim Bakhsh Metag area of Pirandar, district Awaran.

On the same day, forces abducted Rahmatullah Mayar resident of Drammkol, district Kech from Gwadar.

Javed s/o Mulla Sabzal was abducted by the security forces from Pirander Kuch district Awaran on 12 July and was later released on 13 July 2018.

On July 08, forces abducted Elahi Bakhsh Wahid, Rahim Bakhsh Mia Dilmurad, Abdul Hay Mir Mohammad, Abdul Salam Mir Mohammed, Noora Mir Mohammad, Siri Haroon, Jingan Siri, Abdul Wahid Ibrahim, Yar Mohammad Ibrahim, Salim Washdil, Naseer Ibrahim, Ayaz Noora, Sher Mohammad Ghulam Mohammad, Bashir Ahmed, Imdad and Azum during a search operation in Zilag area of Pirandar, district Awaran. Later on, Salim washdil, Bashir Ibrahim, Azum Ibrahim, Wahid Ibrahim and Yar Jan Ibrahim were released on 14 July 2018.

Mir Malang, Rozi and Maldar Hakim were abducted from Tank Mashkay district Awaran on 3 July 2018 and were then released on 19 July 2018.

Imam Bakhsh Dost Mohammad was abducted by security forces on 15 June 2018 from Jan Mohammad Bazar, Dasht district Kech and was released on 27 July 2018.

Farooq Haji Mohammad Karim and Naseem s/o Haji Mohammad Karim were abducted by security forces and intelligence agencies from Resh Pesh, Paroom district Panjgur on 1 June 2018 and were released on 13 July 2018 from Chitkan Army Camp.

Amanat Hasrat had been abducted by security forces and intelligence agencies from Kharan on 27 March 2018 and was released on 20 July 2018. He is a social media activist and a poet.

Munir Rashon Haji Salah Mohammad was abducted by security forces from Gyab, Mand district Kech on 11 February 2016 and was released on 24 July 2018. He was a poet and a school teacher.

Charagh Swali was abducted by security forces from Aslam Shah Farm in Pidrak district Kech on 6 November 2017 and released on 24 July 2018.

Jan Mohammad Yaqoob, Waju Dur Mohammad Hafeez Ghani were abducted by security forces from Gomazi Check post in district Kech two years ago. They were released on 24 July 2018.

Hamraz Alla Bakhsh. Photo: Ashoob

Another person was abducted by a religious extremist group, Lashkar-e-Khurasan, an Organization affiliated with ISIS. Reports suggest that the group works in coordination with the army and specifically targets the Zikri community in Balochistan. Hamraz Alla Bakhsh of Drammakól Pidrak was whisked away by their men on 13 July 2018 from the area and no one has heard of him since then.

The Pakistan military adopted a policy of enforced disappearances and severe military operations to stifle the Baloch peoples struggle for their political and economic rights. Since 2004, thousands of Baloch activists, poets, students, rights activists and others have been forcibly disappeared. The military keeps their whereabouts unknown and subjects them to torture for months.

In 2009, the situation got worse. The Pakistan military abducted three key Baloch leaders, including Ghulam Mohammad Baloch who was the President of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), from the Turbat city of Balochistan on April 3, 2009. In a week, on April 9, their tortured and bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped near the Turbat city. It was the beginning of the military’s now infamous kill-and-dump operations, in which they abduct political activists, journalists, educationists, student activists and human rights defenders, and later dump their bodies in desolated areas.

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.