Balochistan: Four Bodies of Previously Disappeared Baloch Found in 24 Hours

QUETTA: The bodies of four Baloch individuals, who had been previously abducted by Pakistani state authorities, were discovered in just 24 hours in different regions of Balochistan.

On December 1, the bullet-riddled bodies of two Baloch men, Faqeer Jan and Esa Baloch, were found in the Buzdad Berberki River area of Awaran.

Both men had been forcibly disappeared months earlier, and their discovery is a continuation of the disturbing pattern of extrajudicial killings disguised as staged encounters.

Faqeer Jan, a resident of Kunri Buzdad, was abducted on September 26, 2024, after being detained by Pakistani forces.

Esa Baloch, from Paho, had been missing since February 17, 2023.

In a separate incident, the remains of two Baloch individuals, Abid Hussain and Masti Khan, were recovered on December 2 in the Gazan Kocho area of Khuzdar, Balochistan.

The victims, who had disappeared eight years ago, were identified through slips found with their remains.

According to Abid Hussain’s family, he was abducted on October 28, 2017, from Anjira Cross in Khuzdar by a powerful figure’s deputy, Mulla Mureed, who handed him over to state institutions.

After receiving his son’s dead body, Abid Hussain’s father, Ghulam Hussain Umrani, said, “Today, after eight years and one month, I received my son’s mutilated body. I am deeply grateful to those who brought my son’s body to me. My family has endured so much pain and suffering during all this time, and today, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

The date of Masti Khan’s abduction is not yet confirmed, but he was also reportedly taken around the same time as Abid Hussain.

The discovery of their remains brings a tragic end to years of searching by their families, who had tirelessly sought answers from authorities, but with little progress.

Abid Hussain’s mother, in 2021, visited the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) camp in Quetta to share her painful story and request assistance in locating her son. Despite her efforts, the family received no answers until today, when the remains were finally handed over.

The recovery of these bodies is part of a broader, systemic issue of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings that continue to plague Balochistan.

Over the years, numerous activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens have been abducted, with allegations often pointing to the involvement of state institutions or their proxies.

Many of these victims are later found dead in remote locations, with no accountability for their deaths.

This tragic series of discoveries has once again drawn attention to the urgent need for international intervention to address the crisis of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has vehemently condemned the brutal killings of Abid Hussain son of Ghulam Hussain and Mast Khan son of Ghawar Khan Lotani, who were abducted by Pakistani forces eight years ago while travelling to Khuzdar.

The BYC said in another case of extrajudicial killing, Faqeer Jan son of Syed Muhammad, a resident of Kunari Bazdad, who was forcibly disappeared on September 2, 2024, and Esa Baloch son of Noor Deen from Paho, who was abducted on February 17, 2023.

According to BYC both were tortured and executed in a fake encounter on November 30, 2024, by Pakistani forces and their mutilated dead bodies were dumped on riverside in Awaran.

“These heinous acts highlight the ongoing dehumanization and systemic targeting of Baloch individuals. Justice must be served, and the perpetrators held accountable for these war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“We urge the global community and organizations to at least highlight these crimes and abuses of human rights. For the Baloch nation, national resistance is the only way to break this cycle of violence.”

Human rights organisations, including the International Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (IVBMP), have condemned these actions and called on the international community to intervene.

The IVBMP has urged human rights groups and global authorities to denounce the ongoing violations in Balochistan and to push for a thorough and independent investigation into these killings under the supervision of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID).

The organization also demands the immediate release of all individuals currently in the illegal custody of Pakistani security forces.