Military Siege and Drone Strikes in Zehri Leave Civilians Dead: Baloch Activists Call for International Intervention

SHAAL (QUETTA):  The town of Zehri in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district remains under a heavy military siege, with a strict curfew still in effect and all communication services cut off, as Pakistani security forces continue a brutal and escalating offensive against civilians.

According to local sources, at least five people, including women and children, were killed and three others injured in a drone and helicopter strike carried out by Pakistani forces on October 5 in the Mula Pass Bel Chari area of Zehri. Those killed include Manzoor Ahmed, his two children, a nephew, and a woman named Bibi Raheema along with her child. Raheema’s daughter and son were among the injured.

This latest attack follows a pattern of violent offensives in the region. Just days earlier, Pakistan forces opened fire on a young man in the Noor Gama area of Zehri as he stepped outside his home. The victim died en route to a hospital in Khuzdar.

On October 1, another drone strike near the Tarasani area killed three people, including two women, and injured five others, one of them a four-year-old child. The deceased were identified as 40-year-old Bibi Amna (wife of Sanaullah), 41-year-old Lal Bibi (wife of Ali Akbar) and 30-year-old Muhammad Hassan (son of Muhammad Yaqoob).

Reports of aerial bombardment in the mountainous regions of Zehri have become alarmingly frequent, with growing civilian casualties. However, due to the ongoing curfew and complete communication blackout, verifying the full extent of damage and civilian impact remains nearly impossible.

In response to the escalating crisis, Baloch social media activists have expressed grave concern over the ongoing military operations and have called upon international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the United Nations, to break their silence on systematic atrocities being committed by the Pakistani state in Balochistan.

“The international community cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the campaign of collective punishment against the Baloch population by Pakistan Army & other forces. Civilians, including women and children, are being bombed with impunity.”

Adding to the growing chorus of dissent, the Baloch diaspora in the United Kingdom has announced a peaceful protest to be held on Sunday, October 19, opposite 10 Downing Street in London. The protest aims to raise global awareness about the situation in Zehri and the broader pattern of state violence in Balochistan.

As concerns mount and the death toll rises, pressure is building on human rights organisations and global institutions to investigate the situation and ensure accountability. For now, the people of Zehri remain trapped under siege, with little access to the outside world and no clear end in sight.