Balochistan: Collaboration of Pakistan army and its proxy gangs

BW News Desk

It was 3:30 pm of September 4th 2019 when Shahbaik Aziz, the son of a local chieftain in Pedrak called Usman Maqbool to come to his house in Kaleshap village so they go to the range for bird game, the naïve Maqbool couldn’t refuse because of the notorious behaviour of the chieftain in the area. “They’re very powerful people in the area, they have government backing, my brother couldn’t refuse to serve them in catching birds because he would be harmed had he refused,” said his young brother, Adnan Maqbool.

The three sons of the chieftain, Shahbaik Aziz, Jeeyand Aziz and Mullah Shahmir Aziz were waiting for Usman Maqbool to come so that they kidnap him and then handover him to Pakistani government’s security agencies in Turbat city.

The 30 years old Mr Usman Maqbool arrives at chieftain’s home in Kaleshap along with his four years old son Zaid Usman and his neighbouring friend Dilsar Shahdad on a motorbike. They leave their motorbike at Shahbaik Aziz’s house and get into his car and move hastily, they were in the midway when a vehicle coming from the opposite side pulled over in front of them. Twelve armed men jump off the vehicle and overwhelm Usman and his friend Dilsar, put them in their car and drove away. In halfway they throw Dilsar Shahdad on the road after giving him a good beating.

Shahbaik Aziz then returns home and drops Usman’s son Zaid Usman near his house. It was twenty minutes’ drive from where his father was abducted. Four days later Mr Murad, the Uncle of Usman brings the motorbike of Usman Maqbool back to his house.

Usman’s younger brother, Adnan Maqbool says that it has been pre-planned that the local death squads executed to kidnap my brother for ransoms from my family and get some rewards from Pakistan army after framing false charges against my brother. The notorious death squad’s clan of Sardar Aziz has the connection with another death squad headed by Rashid Patan who has been used by Pakistani agencies to abduct political activists of Balochistan freedom movement.

The armed people in the car that came and abducted my brother were the members of death Squad headed by Rashid Patan active in the western part of Kech district where he is tasked to spy and kidnap Baloch political activists.

After 30 minutes of Usman’s abduction, the same people of Rashid Patan death squad’s gang arrived Gorwan village to pick up Usman’s 16 years old cousin, Doda Rashid. At the time when they arrive, Doda was not at home, Doda had gone to a nearby river with his friends, and the gangsters ask his mother his whereabouts. Doda’s mother didn’t know that they had come to kidnap her son. So she would not tell them that he had gone to the river. She called her son to come home, when he arrived, the gangsters immediately arrested him and put him in their car in a similar manner as they did with Usman.  

“The gang members of Rashid Patan cult handed over my brother Usman and Doda to Pakistan army in Turbat FC camp.

“Pakistan army has adopted a new way of executing its illegal kidnapping of Baloch people by subcontracting their crimes to local petty death squads mostly consisted of criminals and drug peddlers wanted by local police, but the police cannot touch them because the ISI has given them green cards”, remarks Adnan Maqbool.

He added that his family has appealed the government of Pakistan to release his brother Usman Maqbool and cousin Doda Rashid or produce him before a court of Justice if he has committed any illegal action against the state.