Balochistan: One of the four victims of Panjgur mass grave identified

QUETTA: The Pakistan FC (Frontier Corps) on Tuesday have confirmed the identity of one of the four victims whose remains were found in a mass grave in district Panjgur Balochistan on 17 July 2018.

According to details, Pakistan FC has called Hazoor Bakhsh Baloch to their camp and informed him that his son Khair Bakhsh Baloch was one of the four victims whose skeletons were found in a mass grave in Darag-e-Dap in Parom area of Panjgur Balochistan.

Sources reported that FC commandant told Hazur Bakhsh that his son was killed in custody about seven months ago and was buried in a mass grave with three other abducted persons’ dead bodies.

Pakistani security forces abducted 23 years old Khair Bakhsh son of Hazoor Bakhsh resident of Diz along with Salim Baloch son of Dost Mohammad and Salaal Baloch son of Idress Baloch from Paroom area of Panjgur Balochistan on 16-0-06-2014 during a raid on their house.

It pertinent to recall that a grave was discovered in Parom area of district Panjgur, Balochistan, on 17 July 2018 which contained the remains of four dead bodies. The remains were said to be disfigured beyond recognition.

The mass grave was discovered in a short distance from a Pakistani security forces checkpoint. The relatives of abducted persons from Panjgur and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons had demanded a DNA test of the remains to ascertain the identity of the victims.

Last week, the mother of Khair Bakhsh and family members of other enforced-disappeared persons from Panjgur have held a protest demonstration outside the office of Deputy Commissioner in Panjgur and demanded the immediate release of their loved ones.

This is not the first time that mass graves have been found in Balochistan, in the past mass graves were found in Panjgur, Khuzdar, Pishin and Dera Bugti Balochistan.

In January 2014 a mass grave containing 169 dead bodies was found in Tootak village of district Khuzdar Balochistan. Only two residents of Awaran were identified who had been abducted by Pakistan forces during earthquake ‘rescue operations’ from Awaran.

The other dead bodies were buried in a haste in the darkness of night not giving enough time for families of abducted Baloch from far-flung areas to come and identify the dead bodies. No DNA tests were conducted either.

In March 2012, a mass grave was discovered in Dera Bugti containing ‘several dead bodies’ according to media reports. Despite demands of a probe into the discovery of mass grave no official inquiry was ordered and the issue faded away with the passage of time.

The Baloch pro-freedom political parties and human rights organisations have continuously been urging the UN and other international human rights groups to send their fact-finding missions to Balochistan to witness the ground reality about Pakistani state terrorism against Baloch people.