30,000 People Face Displacement in Shor Parod as Balochistan Government Sets October 30 Deadline
SHAAL (QUETTA): Around 30,000 people from approximately 5,000 families in the Shor Parod area of Balochistan’s Lat mountain range face displacement after the provincial government set October 30 as the deadline for residents to voluntarily relocate to designated camps, warning that forced eviction proceedings would follow for those who refuse to leave.
The announcement was made by Muhammad Hamza Shafqat, Additional Chief Secretary for Home and Security, during a press conference in Quetta attended by Provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Langove and Shahid Rind, the chief minister’s aide on media and political affairs.
Shafqat said Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had approved a plan to relocate the affected population. He added that arrangements were being made to provide families with food, medicines, tents and other essential supplies. The commissioner of Khuzdar had been tasked with overseeing the operation and relief measures.
The announcement has raised concerns about the scale of the proposed displacement and its potential impact on locals, livelihoods and agricultural activity. The government has described the relocation as an organised process, while its warning of forced evictions has placed residents facing the deadline under pressure to leave their homes.
The planned displacement comes amid wider concerns over the treatment of civilian communities in conflict-affected parts of Balochistan. Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had previously threatened to cut down local farmers’ apple orchards if Baloch armed fighters used the farms as hiding places and launched attacks against Pakistani security forces. Such a threat would place agricultural livelihoods at risk in an area where residents depend on farming for their income.
Several houses belonging to Baloch residents have also previously been demolished in different parts of Balochistan. The demolitions, alongside the latest relocation announcement, have intensified concerns about the security and future of residents in areas where the state has announced displacement.
