Quetta, July 29: A prominent human rights organization has raised concerns over the escalating atrocities committed by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan. The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) has reported alarming figures for June, revealing 77 killings and 63 cases of enforced disappearances.
According to HRCB’s latest report, a total of 77 deaths were recorded across Balochistan in June, comprising 76 men and one woman. The identities of 42 victims remain unconfirmed.
The report indicates that among the deceased, 19 individuals had previously been forcibly disappeared. Four of these were abducted in June and subsequently killed within the same month, while the other 15 had been missing for several months prior.
HRCB stated, “Alleged encounters were the most common method of killings reported, with 39 cases accounting for over half of the total incidents. Additionally, there were 12 target killings, 10 fake encounters, nine deaths in custody, and three instances where bodies were recovered. Honor killings and indiscriminate shootings also resulted in two deaths each.”
The report highlights that the Pakistan Frontier Corps (FC) was implicated in the majority of incidents, linked to 53 cases. Following this, 14 cases involved unidentified individuals, while state-sponsored death squads and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) were named in five cases each.
Among the 63 individuals who were forcibly disappeared, two were women and three were minors. HRCB noted that only 17 of these individuals were released during June, while the remainder remain unaccounted for.
The report further states that the FC was the most responsible agency for enforced disappearances, identified in 36 cases. Pakistani intelligence agencies were implicated in 16 cases, state-sponsored death squads in six, and the CTD in five.
According to HRCB, the most common method for enforced disappearances involved raids on homes, with 27 cases reported, making up 42.86 percent of total incidents. Additionally, 20 cases (31.75 percent) involved individuals being taken into custody before going missing. Ten individuals (15.87 percent) disappeared during military operations, while three were called to FC camps and subsequently vanished, and three others were taken from security checkpoints.
The report alleges that during this period, Pakistani forces conducted several military operations in Balochistan, resulting in damage to civilian property, prolonged restrictions on movement, and incidents of intimidation against citizens and human rights activists.
It further states, “Repeated nighttime raids occurred in the Kech area, where women and children faced mistreatment and intimidation. Many locations also experienced looting. Human rights activist Sami Deen Baloch’s home was subjected to prolonged raids as well.”
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