Pakistani Army Planning Guantanamo-Like Centers in Balochistan: Report

The Pakistani Army is reportedly planning to set up internment centers in Balochistan, mirroring the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison complex and similar "black sites" previously established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to a report by the Balochistan Post, these centers will likely be controlled by non-civilian personnel and could deny detainees access to their families and legal aid, raising significant human rights concerns.

Critics argue that these centers could formalize the practice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Former senator Farhatullah Babar expressed his concerns on social media, likening the proposed centers to Guantanamo Bay prisons. He warned that the establishment of such centers would legitimize arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, a practice already rampant in the region.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, similar internment centers were set up under the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation. Enacted in 2011 but applied retrospectively from 2008, these regulations granted security forces extensive powers to arrest and detain individuals indefinitely. The Peshawar High Court ruled in 2019 that these centers were unconstitutional, stating that indefinite detention without trial violated fundamental human rights and due process. Despite this ruling, reports indicate that such facilities continue to operate in KP and might now expand into Balochistan.

The Balochistan Post report also highlights that internment or "torture" centers have proliferated within military cantonments in Balochistan in recent years. Rights groups, including the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), claim that over 45,000 Baloch men, women, and children have disappeared, allegedly detained in these centers. The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has also raised concerns about the high number of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

Despite mounting evidence and international concern, Pakistani authorities either remain silent or outright deny these allegations. The formal establishment of internment centers in Balochistan is perceived as an attempt to legalize enforced disappearances under the pretext of national security and counter-terrorism. This move has alarmed human rights advocates, who fear that these centers could institutionalize severe human rights violations and further destabilize the region.

Guantanamo Bay, established by the United States in 2002, is notorious for its systematic use of torture and inhumane treatment of detainees. The potential replication of such practices in Balochistan has intensified calls for transparency and accountability from the Pakistani government and military.

The situation remains tense, with human rights organizations and activists continuing to push for international intervention to prevent the establishment of these internment centers and to address the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan.