Balochistan: Unabated Wave of Killings, Disappearances and Protests Continue
SHAAL, BALOCHISTAN: A surge in targeted killings and enforced disappearances across multiple districts of Balochistan has intensified public outrage, prompting renewed protests and road blockades as residents demand accountability and the safe recovery of missing persons.
In Kech district’s Nasirabad area, a man identified as Jalal son of Din Muhammad, was shot dead after masked assailants on a motorcycle opened fire at a service station where he was cleaning a vehicle.
Local sources reported that Jalal worked as a driver and belonged to a family already affected by enforced disappearances: two of his brothers had previously gone missing, with one later released and the other still unaccounted for.
Residents and human rights activists say that the attackers were linked to a government-backed armed group, often referred to as a “death squad,” accused of involvement in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Meanwhile, in Kalat district, authorities recovered four bodies within 24 hours, all believed to have been murdered and dumped.
Two of the victims, found near Badrang mountain in the Mangchar area, were identified as Qutb Ali son of Mohammad Akbar and Ali Mohammad son of Mohammad Hayat. Both had been shot dead.
Two additional bodies were discovered earlier, one of which remains unidentified. Human rights workers say that discovery of mutilated and abandoned bodies have become alarmingly common in the region and several have been identified as individuals previously reported missing.
In Wadh, Khuzdar district, tensions escalated further after yet another abduction. Ghulam Sarwar son of Asadullah Brahmazai Mengal, was kidnapped from the Kakahir area by unknown individuals and taken to an undisclosed location.
His abduction triggered an immediate protest as family members and locals blocked the National Highway at Killi Brahmazai, halting traffic. The blockade came only a day after another man, Abdul Bari son of Abdul Khaliq, went missing from Wadh, prompting a similar demonstration that was briefly lifted following talks with local authorities.
With the latest disappearance, protesters have once again resumed their blockade, demanding action and the safe return of the abducted men.
Human rights groups continue to voice deep concern over deteriorating situation in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the recovery of mutilated bodies have become a grim pattern.
