Pakistani forces kill five previously abducted Baloch in a staged encounter

QUETTA: The Pakistani forces’ Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has killed five previously abducted Baloch prisoners in a fake counter in the Espelinji area of Mastung Balochistan on Monday evening.

The spokesperson of the CTD claimed the deceased were members of ‘the Baloch Liberation Army’ and were killed in an intelligence-based operation. He claimed that when the forces raided their ‘hideout’ and asked them to surrender, they opened fire on the CTD forces instead.

The deceased have been named Shah Nazar Marri, Yousaf Marri, Arif Marri, Jamil Perkani and Samiullah Perkani.

Family sources of at least three of the deceased have confirmed to Balochwarna News that they were arrested many weeks before the so called ‘intelligence-based operation’ from different areas of Balochistan.

 Yousaf Marri was abducted from Jaladi on 27 November 2020 and his cousin Arif Marri was abducted from Quetta on 28 February 2021. Yousaf used work in his farms in Jaladi whereas Arif Marri ran a small shop in Quetta.

A school teacher Sher Dil Marri and Nadir Marri two uncles of Yousaf Marri were abducted from New Kahaan Quetta on May 15, 2020. Sher Dil Marri later charged with trumped-up drug-related charged and release conditionally.

Nadir was transferred to Mach Jail for a few days and a ransom was demanded for his release. Since his family could not pay the military, he was once again disappeared from jail and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

 Shah Nazar Chalgari Marri was abducted from Harnai during a military offensive in December 2020.

The other two youth Samiullah and Jamil Perkani were abducted on January 18, 2021, from Eastern bypass Quetta.

Sources informed Balochwarna News that Pakistan army officials had contacted the families of at least two of the deceased and demanded ransom but their families could not afford the huge ransom. Hence, they refused to pay the army.

It is worth noting that previously also Pakistan army demanded ransom from the families of disappeared Baloch and later killed the detainees despite being paid.

The Pakistani army has admitted that in recent years several high-rank officials including Major ranks were dismissed for ‘misuse of power’ and their involvement in corruption.

In the past also Pakistan army killed many Baloch prisoners in similar fake encounters and released statements to media that they were killed during operations.

Baloch pro-freedom political parties and human rights organisations say that Pakistani forces have killed thousands of missing Baloch persons since the beginning of the new state policy ‘kill and dump’ since early 2009.  

The victims of Pakistan’s kill and dump policy include highly learned Baloch academics, teachers, students, lawyers, doctors and other members of the society.