33 Disappeared, five Extrajudicially Killed in February in Balochistan: Report

Defense News Balochistan :-  The Baloch National Movement's (BNM) Human Rights Department, Paank, has sounded the alarm on a surge in enforced disappearances and military actions in Balochistan, revealing 33 documented cases across various regions, according to The Balochistan Post.

In their comprehensive report for February 2024, the BNM's Human Rights Department disclosed that out of the 33 reported cases, 28 individuals were eventually released from torture cells, underscoring the severity of the situation.

Following the conflict between the Pakistan Army and Baloch Sarmachars in Mach, Balochistan, the report highlighted that five individuals, forcibly disappeared while in custody, were unjustly labeled as attackers and subsequently killed.

The report emphasized the urgent need for extensive research into the profound societal damage inflicted upon Balochistan, particularly the coercion of Baloch youth into forced exile or collaboration with the Pakistani army, resulting in them becoming either living corpses or indifferent members of their society, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

Additionally, the report shed light on the unsettling practice where protests by Baloch people often conclude with police assurances that disappeared youths would be falsely implicated to justify their arrest and detention.

Terming these actions as egregious human rights violations, the report called for heightened attention from human rights organizations and legal assistance for those currently imprisoned in Balochistan prisons, who were previously forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani army.

The report presented evidence of the enforced disappearances of five individuals by the Pakistani army in Mach, urging international intervention to halt the ongoing cycle of violence.

Strongly denouncing Pakistani military aggressions in Bolan, the report stressed the need for an urgent international investigation into the actions of the Pakistani army, urging the international community to press the Pakistani government for access to international organizations and media, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

The report concluded by adding that silence on these matters is detrimental to the dignity of humanity, emphasizing the critical need for global attention and intervention in the face of escalating human rights abuses in Balochistan.