Rights body reports rising enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan

Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement has published a report that recorded around 98 enforced disappearances and 12 extrajudicial killings in November month by the Pakistan security forces.

According to Paank, the enforced disappearances of Baloch citizens, particularly Baloch youth, continue across various cities, including Karachi, at the hands of the Pakistan Army and affiliated agencies in Balochistan.

In November 2024, 98 cases of enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions were reported across 15 districts in Balochistan and Karachi. Kech district had the highest number with 31 cases, followed by Gwadar with 11, indicating severe repression in these regions. Other districts, including Dera Bugti, Lasbela, and Awaran, also reported numerous incidents, while urban areas like Karachi recorded 5 cases, highlighting the widespread nature of these abuses.

This data underscores the systematic occurrence of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, leaving communities in fear and anguish. Each case represents a life ripped away from its family, with the actual scale likely much higher due to underreporting. This troubling trend calls for immediate international attention and accountability.

Pakistani forces and state agencies forcibly detained around 96 individuals across Balochistan, with a focus on Baloch youths.

Paank also highlighted the names of the abducted individuals. Muhammad Nawaz, Ghulam Buzdar, Jafar Marri, Bahar Jan, Abdul Khaliq and many others were forcibly disappeared and killed by the Pakistani security forces in November.

The ongoing disappearances of Baloch individuals, including students, expose a pattern of state-sanctioned abductions carried out by the Pakistan Army and related agencies with little consequence. Despite global condemnation, Pakistani authorities have largely escaped accountability, and local courts seem ineffective in addressing these human rights violations. The targeting of students suggests a deliberate effort to silence opposition and suppress the future of Baloch youth.

These incidents demonstrate that torture is frequently used during unlawful detentions, while unidentified bodies indicate a lack of accountability and state efforts to conceal evidence.