Balochistan witnessed 41 incidents of enforced disappearances in July: Report

Berlin [Germany], October 9 : PAANK, the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), highlighted the atrocities committed by Pakistan's armed forces in its September report. The report indicated that Balochistan experienced 41 enforced disappearances, three extrajudicial killings, and 25 incidents of extrajudicial torture during the month.
The investigative report examines critical human rights issues plaguing Balochistan, focusing on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and alarming road accidents.
It notes a troubling trend under the government's Fourth Schedule policy, which places thousands of political workers, lawyers, doctors, students, and teachers under surveillance and restricts their movement. Many of these individuals have been falsely linked to pro-liberation armed organizations, providing Pakistani forces with legal cover to detain and persecute them.
"Human rights movements remain active, demanding that the Pakistani government put an end to these abuses. In Gwadar, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (Raji Muchi) actively protested these violations but was suppressed by Pakistani authorities through violent means. Properties, vehicles, and personal belongings of protestors and political figures have been seized by the police, with no intention of returning them."
An agreement was made between the authorities and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee to release detained protestors in exchange for the cessation of strikes and protests in Balochistan. However, instead of honoring this agreement, the government has intensified its crackdown on peaceful political activists.
The report also highlights that, under Pakistan's Fourth Schedule policy, peaceful political activists have been falsely linked to armed organizations and labeled as suspicious individuals. For instance, Gulzar Dost, the convener of the Balochistan Civil Society, was detained in his native area to prevent him from attending and participating in Raji Muchi's activities.
One particularly troubling case mentioned in the report occurred on September 7, 2024, when two brothers, 20-year-old Muhammad Ismail and 17-year-old Muhammad Abbas, were taken from their home in the Johan area of Qalat district by Pakistani security forces around 1:00 AM. Shortly after their abduction, they were found dead with bullet wounds.
The report details that the highest incidents of enforced disappearances were recorded in Gwadar, Kech, Kharan, and Mastung, with 11, 5, 4, 3, and 3 cases, respectively.