Balochistan: Thirty-six disappeared, twenty-seven killed in July

Thirty-six persons went missing and twenty-seven murdered in various areas of Balochistan during the month of July 2020. Killed people include four persons of same family, killed by sate forces in Harnai, Balochistan.

On 02 July, two brothers, Ghulam Fareed and Ghulam Haidar, sons of Ghulam Mohammad were abducted by security forces from Karachi and Hub Chowki respectively. Ghulam Fareed works as a mechanic in a car repair center in Nipa Chorangi, Karachi, where the personnel of security forces came and whisked him away. The other brother, Ghulam Haidar, works as a security guard in a dairy milk company in Hub Chowki and was picked up from his duty. Reason of their abduction and whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

Ghulam Fareed and Ghulam Haidar

On 03 July, the personnel of FC, a paramilitary force in Balochistan, abducted Nadim Murad Bakhsh, resident of Hoshab district Kech from Apsar area of Turbat. He was ill and came to Turbat for a medical checkup, as his village does not have any hospitals. He was abducted from the house of his relatives, where he was staying during his visit to Turbat.

On 07 July, FC personnel raided a house in Sengabad, Hirronk, district Kech and abducted Qamis Wahid Bakhsh. Same force abducted Imran Tagapi of Kharan from Kharan region of Balochistan.

On 10 July, FC personnel whisked away Chakar Abdul Salam from Hub Chowki, district Lasbela.

On 11 July, the forces abducted Baloch Noor Mohammad, Jomma Rasool Bakhsh and Taj Mohammad Atta Mohammad from Awaran region of Balochistan.

On 12 July, forces whisked away Asadullah Atta Mohammad, a shopkeeper from Gechk area of Panjgur. Forces whisked away another two persons, Sanjar Hassan and Noor Bakhsh Salim from Khuzdar and another two persons, Riaz Ibrahem and Munir Khuda Bakhsh from Tump, district Kech on the same day.

On 14 July, forces abducted Aslam Nasir and Shadil Karim Bakhsh from Gishkor are of district Kech.

On 25 July, forces abducted Sharif Seddiq from Kilkor area of district Punjgur.

On 29 July, forces whisked away Nazir Yar Mohammad and Nasim Abdullah from Kombel area of Dasht, district Kech and Wajid Mohammad, Mohammad Ali Wajid and Elahi Bakhsh Telaho from Awaran.

On 30 July, forces whisked away Ayaz Baloch, resident of Pidarak, district Kech from Pasni bazar of district Gwadar.

On 31 July, forces abducted Shahbaig Dad Karim from Gomazi, tehsil Tump of district Kech.

As the enforced disappearances continue, the family members of the disappeared persons continue their protests, asking for safe recovery of their loved ones. Children asking for their missing fathers, sisters for their brothers and mothers for their sons. The family members have sat up a sit-in camp in front of Quetta Press Club for more than a decade. In addition to the camp, they stage protests time to time to raise their voice for their loved ones. The family members staged a protest on the day of Eid-al-Adha, in front of Quetta Press Club to highlight the issue. Afraid for the fate of their abducted relatives, many of elderly women faint in the protests crying for their sons. Children grown up in search of their missing fathers, still feel scared as thousands of these missing persons are later found dead, many killed in fake encounters.

Families of victims of enforced disappearances staged a protest on Eid ul Adha
Families of victims of enforced disappearances staged a protest on Eid ul Adha

In month of July, many previously disappeared persons were found dead in different parts of Balochistan. Five previously abducted persons were shot killed by security forces in a fake encounter on 31 July in Punjab. All of them were identified as missing persons, abducted by security forces. Dost Mohammad Bugti, one of them, was abducted by military before eight months from Karachi, Sindh. Ghulam Hussain Bugti, another one, was abducted from Kashmore, Sindh in February last year, Ali Bugti and Ramzan Bugti were abducted in November and July last year from Rajanpur and Dera Bugti respectively, while Atta Mohammad was abducted and remained missing for one year  before they were killed in encounter.

Mutilated bodies of Ibrahem Mohammad and Noorullah Bakhtyar were found dumped on 12 and 13 July, in Gwadar and Chaghi respectively.

Hasil Abdullah was abducted by security forces on 12 July from Zainkoh area of Dera Bugti and his body was found dumped on the next day.

On 17 July, mutilated body of Mohammad Rafiq was found dumped in Khuzdar.

Four persons of the same family killed by security forces during a raid on a house in Harnai, Balochistan on 06 July. Those killed include a six years old girl of the family. Military killed Qaisar Marri along with three of his daughters on the spot, at their house.

Fourteen other persons were shot killed in different areas during the month.

On 02 July, Tariq Ishaq was shot killed by gunmen in Kech.

On 03 July, Mujib ul Rahman Zamorani, a religious leader was shot killed along with another person in Karachi, Sindh.

On 06 July, Zakir Mohammad Naim was shot killed Punjgur.

On 10 July, Abdul Mannan and Ali Ahmad were shot killed in Qalat.

On 12 July, Abdul Majeed Ismail was shot killed in Hub Chowki, Labella.

On 13 July, Irshadullah Mohammad Hassan was shot killed in Punjgur.

On 16 July, Zakr Tariq was shot killed in Pasni, district Gwadar.

On 17 July, Abdul Haq was shot killed in Nag, district Washuk.

On 24 July, Qazafi was shot killed in Buleda area of district Kech.

On 29 July, Gul Hassan was shot killed in Quetta, capital town of Balochistan.

On 31 July, Ismael Saeed was shot killed in Quetta.

On 31 July, Abdul Majeed was shot killed in Mahochar area of Mastung.

In Balochistan, armed men roam the roads and streets freely, despite of heavy presence of the security forces. These armed men are free to kill, abduct, steal with impunity. Recently a group of three such gunmen were caught in a house in Kech, where they killed a lady and injured a baby girl. Gunmen captured by the family, had identity cards of military intelligence and confessed that they work for country’s military. People of different walks of life took on to the streets and demanded dismantlement of so-called death squads. Protests continued for months with no results.

 

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.