Pakistan Military Offensives in Balochistan; Reports of Civilian Detentions and Casualties Mount
SHAAL (QUETTA): Pakistani security forces have intensified military aggressions in several regions of Balochistan, with reports of mass detentions, home raids and human rights violations emerging from Mastung, Khuzdar, and Kalat districts.
On Monday, large-scale ground offensives were carried out in the Dasht and Kolpur areas of Mastung district, where forces from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), intelligence agencies and local police cordoned off neighbourhoods and conducted house-to-house searches. Local sources report that dozens of homes were raided in Killi Jumma Khan, Gali Bangulzai and Killi Sarparah, where residents were subjected to physical abuse.
Over 50 men and youths were detained and taken to undisclosed locations. Later in the day, families of the detained were informed that their relatives had been transferred to Quetta Central Jail. However, uncertainty remains over the whereabouts of many, with several individuals still unaccounted for.
Family members have accused security forces of vandalizing property, assaulting women and children and forcibly disappearing their loved ones without warrants or legal justification.
Simultaneously, for the past three consecutive days, Pakistan’s military has been conducting both aerial and ground offensives in the Zehri region of Khuzdar district. These attacks are part of an escalating security campaign in Balochistan, which has long been plagued by tensions between the state and Baloch pro-freedom groups.
Earlier this month, at least three civilians including two women were killed and several others were injured in two separate drone strikes carried out by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan’s Zehri region, raising alarm among human rights activists and local communities about the growing use of aerial force in civilian-populated areas.
Despite mounting evidence and testimonies, Pakistani authorities have yet to issue any official statement confirming the latest offensives or addressing the reports of enforced disappearances and civilian casualties.
