Baloch Human Rights Organization (BHRO) and Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB or Hakkpaan in Balochi) have received and researched partial details of 77 cases of enforced disappearances and 18 cases of extra judicial killings during the month of January 2019. 70 previously missing persons were released due to the pressure built up by the families of missing persons’ sit-in hunger strike in front of the Quetta press club for more than a decade.
According to the details security forces forcibly disappeared 77 persons from Awaran, Kech, Khuzdar Panjgur, Gwadar and Sibi districts of Balochistan. Whereas the rest 26 districts of Balochistan still remain inaccessible due to the media blockade introduced by authorities in Balochistan to suppress the voices raised against the violations committed by the forces.
On the other hand, ten decomposed beyond recognition bodies were brought by Edhi foundation to Teramil Graveyard, Dasht for burial on 08th January 2019. The bodies were buried without DNA analysis. The burial of the bodies without DNA analysis have caused anguish to the families of victims of enforced disappearances who have been sitting on a hunger strike in front of Quetta Press Club.
The victims of enforced disappearances include Muhammad Azeem s/o Phullan resident of Gubord, Mand district Kech. According to the locals Muhammad Azeem is a farmer and was working on the fields when security forces raided and abducted him on the evening of 02nd January 2019.
On 01 January 2019, Mohammad Ali s/o Abdo was whisked away by security forces from a military check post in Tirtej, Awaran. Family members say, Mohammad Ali was travelling back from Karachi in his truck along with a driver and a conductor. They were held in the check post and after a few hours both the driver and the conductor were released whereas the whereabouts of Mohammad Ali still remain unknown.
Rashid s/o Abdul Rasool was forcibly disappeared by the forces during a raid at his house at around 1:00 am. According to his extended family, Rashid was working as a labor in Middle East and was recently back home on holidays when he was abducted from Mondi area of Gwadar.
On 19th January 2019, personnel of Frontier Corps (a paramilitary force) accompanied by personnel in civil dress, raided the house of Abdul Rasool and abducted his 17 years old son Jaffar.
On 27 January 2019, forces conducted a search operation in Dasht Sadi, a village near Pakistan-Iran border, district Gwadar and forcibly disappeared Ghani s/o Abbas. Women and children were beaten up.
On 28 January 2019, Salman s/o Dad Rehman and Malik s/o Mohammad were abducted from Nizarabad, Tump district Kech. Salman was abducted from his own shop which is locally famous as Salman’s shop whereas Malik s/o Mohammad was abducted during the exams from the examination hall.
On 31 January 2019, security forces conducted a military operation in Gwarkop area of district Kech. Eight persons were abducted, including four of the same family. Abductees are Solo s/o Babu, Rasheed s/o Kamalan, Qamber s/o Yousuf, Muneer s/o Wali Mohammad, all from same family, Hasil and Musa Wahag are two brothers while Basheer and Sabzal Qadir Bakhsh are brothers.
70 persons were released from the custody of security institutions during the month, many of them were missing for years and some for months.
Eighteen persons were killed during the month of January, eight of them died from firing of unknown persons in Kech, Panjgur, Sibi and Quetta districts of Balochistan.
On 03 January 2019, a dead body was found dumped in Hub Chowki, district Lasbela. The deceased was later identified as Elahi Bakhsh Pir Jan resident of Dulechi Jhao district Awaran. Elahi Bakhsh was abducted by Pakistani security forces from Jhao, district Awaran on 07 May 2016. His whereabouts remained unknown till his body was found dumped in Hub, Balochistan.
On 7th January, a mutilated dead body was found in a sack on the eastern bypass in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan. The dead body was later shifted to a hospital for identification. Later the deceased was identified as Shokat Ali s/o Saleh Mohammad, a resident of Musa Colony, Quetta whereas his hometown was Kardagap, Mastung. According to local sources he was a student in Degree College and was also working as a dispenser in Yaseen Hospital Quetta. He went missing on 06 January after leaving the house.
On 9 January, another body was found in Saryab Mill Colony, Quetta. The body was shifted by Edhi foundation to the hospital where he was identified as Mohammad Arif s/o Lateef Mastoi. According the doctors he was died from a gunshot .
On 11 January, a dead body was found in Sangsela area of Dera Bugti. Levies accompanied by personnel of Frontier Corps shifted the body to the local hospital where he was identified as Shehan Bugti.
Phulan waju was killed and claimed by Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) in Awaran on 19th January 2019. Spokesperson of BLF claimed the responsibility and stated that Phulllan was an informer of the military.
Balochistan presents a picture of a war zone, where the state military is confronted with the armed men, belong to nationalist armed groups. The armed groups emerged when the central government pushed the local nationalists to the wall, when they demanded more autonomy and rights on the natural resources of the land, Balochistan. During the military rule, in late 1990’s, central government pressed nationalists and started suppressing the voices raised against the newly announced projects, especially a multi-billion dollars project China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Gradually the armed resistance gained momentum and the civilian population is caught between states military, armed nationalists and religious extremists.
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