Balochistan: Rights group alleges fake encounters as Baloch youth face extrajudicial killings

Quetta [Balochistan], February 5 : The Baloch Yakjehti Committee, a rights group advocating against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, convened a press conference at Civil Hospital Quetta on Monday, condemning the alleged fake encounters of missing persons. Present at the conference were family members of the victims, joining the call for justice.
Prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch addressed the media, shedding light on the disturbing trend of extrajudicial killings. She emphasised that despite peaceful demands voiced during the Long March, the Pakistani authorities refused to address the concerns of the families of missing persons.
Mahrang expressed her disappointment, stating, "The state persists in its cruel and oppressive policies towards Balochistan."
In the press conference, Mahrang challenged the narrative propagated by Pakistani forces and agencies during extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.
Often citing terrorism as justification, she noted that the state lacked evidence to support these allegations. "The state is committing inhumane acts by justifying the actions of armed men. The false narrative of missing persons being in the mountains is a cover for the ongoing Baloch genocide," Mahrang asserted, expressing her anger against the Pakistani establishment.
In the aftermath of the recent Mach incident, Mahrang revealed, "The bodies of five people have been brought in, with four identified by relatives who were previously forcibly disappeared by state agencies. Concerns remain regarding the fifth body, raising fears of another victim of enforced disappearance."
Baloch activists are mobilizing, urging international authorities to intervene in the ongoing genocide of their community members. The demand is for the United Nations and human rights organizations to hold the Pakistani authorities accountable for crimes committed in Balochistan. Activists are calling for a fact-finding mission led by the United Nations Working Group to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Balochistan, Pakistan's most underdeveloped region, has been a hotspot for alleged atrocities by the country's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), including abduction, killings, and torture to instill fear. The prevailing injustice and a deep sense of alienation have compelled some Baloch individuals to take up arms, targeting Pakistani Army personnel and Chinese assets in the region.