One abducted, another killed: Pakistani forces continue to target activists in Balochistan

Quetta, May 27 (IANS) The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a human rights organisation of Balochistan, on Tuesday strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of a Baloch political leader named Ghani Baloch by Pakistan's Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and Frontier Corps. He was forcibly taken from a public transport vehicle near Khuzdar in Balochistan by the Pakistani forces while traveling from Quetta to Karachi.

The BYC stated that Ghani, who is a Central Organising Committee member of the National Democratic Party (NDP) of Balochistan, remained missing, with no information provided to his family, legal representatives, or party members.

"Ghani is not only a political worker but also a book publisher based in Quetta and a committed advocate for Baloch political and human rights. His enforced disappearance is part of a systematic campaign targetting Baloch youth, intellectuals, and political voices — a strategy employed by the state to suppress peaceful activism and erase resistance. This incident is not isolated. It is emblematic of the broader state policy of enforced disappearances and political repression in Balochistan, a clear violation of international human rights law," read a statement issued by the BYC.

Highlighting another incident of enforcement disappearance and 'kill and dump' policy carried by the Pakistani forces, the BYC on Monday stated that on the night of May 23, Haneef Aziz Baloch, a resident of Taboo Kad area in Jahoo, Awaran district of Balochistan, was forcibly abducted from his home by Pakistani Law Enforcement Agencies including paramilitary forces, and whose lifeless body was found dumped less than 24 hours later.

"His corpse bore clear signs of brutal torture and bullet wounds — the undeniable evidence of extrajudicial execution. This heinous murder is not an isolated incident — it is part of a rapidly escalating wave of enforced disappearances and targeted killings currently ravaging Awaran. In recent days, the region has witnessed an alarming surge in military operations, disappearances, and assassinations, as the Pakistani state reverts to its notorious 'kill and dump' doctrine," the BYC said in a statement.

"These operations are frequently carried out in coordination with local death squads — state-backed militias tasked with abductions, surveillance, and assassinations. With full support from the Pakistani Army and intelligence apparatus, these squads operate with impunity, terrorising unarmed civilians and eliminating anyone suspected of dissent," the statement added.

Reiterating that Pakistan continues to violate every standard of humanitarian law in Balochistan without any accountability from the world, the BYC called on the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and global watchdogs to immediately investigate and take action.

--IANS

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