Balochistan: BHRO will protest against the disa​ppearanc​e​ of Nawaz Atta on May 15.

Baloch Human Rights Organization (BHRO) held a press conference in Quetta and issued the monthly report of human rights violations in media. Vice Chairperson of BHRO Tayyaba Baloch, while talking to media, said that the human rights violations in Balochistan have paralyzed livelihoods of people. People of Balochistan are deprived of basic facilities of education, health and other necessities of life and are compelled to live a miserable life. On the other side, the continuous and consecutive military operations on daily basis have set a record of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, displacement of locals, forced migration, looting and obliterating houses of people in Balochistan. It has affected every segment of society of Balochistan.

Tayyaba Baloch Vice Chairperson of BHRO during the Press Conference. Photo:BHRO

In April 2019, the security forces forcibly disappeared seventy-eight civilians from different areas of Balochistan and shifted them to undisclosed locations including 3 residents of Tump, district Kech who have not been identified yet. Twenty-five were released but fifty-three people are still missing and their whereabouts are unknown.

Thirty-eight people were killed in separate incidents in the month of April which includes 26 victims of Hazar Ganji bomb blast on 12 April. Moreover, 4 unidentified bodies recovered whereas, on 25 April, the dead body of Huzoor Jatt was dumped. Forces forcibly disappeared him on 22 April and 3 days later his body was dumped.

On April 1, 2018, security forces abducted nine civilians during an operation from Tump, district Kech. Seven were released while whereabouts of Rafeeq Ahmad and Ameer Bakhsh Zabad are still unknown.

From 5 to 8 April, forces forcibly disappeared 14 people during military operations and raids from various areas of Balochistan. One person was released while the remaining 13 are still missing including 14-years-old Sameer Nasrullah.

On April 9, ten civilians were abducted from Tump and Turbat areas of Kech district.

From 10 to 21 April, 11 persons of the same were abducted from Hub and Karachi. Moreover, 7 others were abducted from different areas of Balochistan.

On 21 April, the security forces abducted Abdul Hai along with children & women from Zelag area of Awaran who were released after being kept incommunicado for 3 days.

From 23 to 25 April, ten people, including a student from Mashkay, Dasht and Turbat area of Makuran division were forcibly disappeared.

On 30 April, the security forces raided the house of Shay Haq Bugti in Rabi area of Naseer Abad and forcibly disappeared 4 women Dhandoz Bugti, Shozan Bugti, Bijari Bugti, Zargul Bugti and 5 children Aamna Bugti, Jamil Bugti, Paathi Bugti, Batey Khan Bugti & Noor Banuk and shifted them to army camp of Naseer Abad.
Increase in intensity of human rights violations has taken a critical shape and turned Balochistan into a battlefield. On one side, the incidents of military operations, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing have caused anguish to the people and on the other side, the state completely failed in providing justice and instead of acknowledging their failure the state is distorting the fact and have turned their back to their responsibility.

The journalists are facing censorship from state authorities and are silent on the humanitarian crisis of Balochistan which is condemnable.

The human rights violations in Balochistan which are being committed by state forces are not only violation of Pakistan constitution but also a violation of International Humanitarian Law and Supreme Court and Parliament are silently witnessing it.

Baloch Human Rights Organization Information Secretary Nawaz Atta enforced disappearance has completed its 15 months and there is no information about his fate and whereabouts. Nawaz Atta was a human rights defender and had been actively raising issues related to human rights. He was forcibly disappeared on October 28, 2017, by Sindh Rangers and intelligence authorities from Karachi.

Baloch Human Rights Organization will hold a protest demonstration against enforced disappearance of civilians in Balochistan including Nawaz Atta in front of Quetta Press Club on May 15, 2019. We appeal to people from all walks of life to participate in the demonstration and support us in the safe recovery of enforced disappeared persons.

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.