Balochistan witnessed 35 incidents of enforced disappearances in July: Report

Quetta [Pakistan], August 15 : PAANK, the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), in the July edition of its monthly report, highlighted the atrocities of Pakistani defence forces in Balochistan province.
The report claimed that Balochistan during August witnessed 35 enforced disappearances, three extrajudicial killings and 13 incidents of extrajudicial torture.
The investigative report examines critical human rights issues plaguing the region of Balochistan, focusing on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and horrifying road accidents.
According to the PAANK report, the trend of enforced disappearances has become a persistent and alarming issue, with families often left without information about the whereabouts or condition of their loved ones.
"The situation in Balochistan has been marked by widespread atrocities carried out by the Pakistani military and associated armed institutions. These include not only enforced disappearances but also acts of torture, the destruction of property, and looting. A particularly disturbing aspect of this violence involves the abduction of young men, who are then subjected to brutal torture in detention centres and often killed, with their bodies discarded in public spaces to serve as warnings," the report stated.
The report highlighted that despite growing protests against these human rights abuses, the military's response has been increasingly brutal.
It highlighted how in Gwadar, violent crackdowns on unarmed protesters resulted in three deaths and over a hundred injuries.
The Pakistani authorities also imposed communication blackouts, shutting down internet and mobile networks in key areas such as Gwadar, exacerbating the isolation and vulnerability of the local population, the report claimed.
While referring to the July 28 protest organised by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the PAANK report mentioned that, in the Mastung district, 14 protesters were injured, with one participant, Abdul Muteeb Baloch, sustaining a critical head injury. In Turbat, 25 protesters were injured by direct fire from security forces, resulting in the death of Asghar Baloch.
The situation escalated further in Gwadar, where the Frontier Corps (FC), CTD police, and intelligence agencies used live ammunition, tear gas, and batons against the protesters, leading to the death of a young man and injuries to several others.
The highest incidents of enforced disappearances were witnessed by Quetta, Kech, Awaran and Khuzdar, these districts witnessed 10, eight, seven and six incidents of enforced disappearances respectively.