Balochistan: Wave of Killings and Enforced Disappearances Continue Unabated

PANJGUR/KHARAN, BALOCHISTAN: A university lecturer was shot dead and another academic critically injured in a targeted attack outside the Sub-Campus of the University of Balochistan in Kharan on the morning of March 4.

Dilawar Khan, son of Lal Bakhsh, a resident of Nodz, Turbat, was killed at the scene after unidentified armed men opened fire on him and his colleague Bilal Ahmed son of Ghulam Jan, a resident of Panjgur. Both were attacked in front of the university sub-campus.

Bilal Ahmed sustained severe injuries in the attack. He was initially taken to Sheikh Zaid Hospital in Kharan before being transferred to Quetta for further treatment due to his critical condition.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee condemned the killing and called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to investigate the incident and ensure accountability under international human rights law. The group said the attack reflects an ongoing pattern of targeted violence affecting civilians, including educators, in Balochistan.

In a separate incident, the body of Fateh Baloch, a driver from Mewar in Mashkai who had been missing for over a month, was recovered from the Mashkai River.

According to his family, Fateh Baloch son of Shahdad, was forcibly taken on January 13, 2026, near the main army camp in Mashkai while he was transporting passengers in his vehicle. Witnesses reported that army personnel stopped his vehicle and took him inside the camp.

Relatives say authorities informed the family that Fateh had been taken into custody and his father was told that his son would be killed. After approximately one and a half months of disappearance, his body, bearing multiple bullet wounds, was discovered in the river.

Family members described him as a civilian driver who worked to support his household.

The body of a 17-year-old student who had been taken from his home a day earlier was also discovered in Panjgur.

Yahya Baloch son of Fazal Karim, a resident of Khudabadan Mawach, was taken from his house in the Khudabadan Kohe Metag area on March 3 by armed individuals accompanied by personnel from the Frontier Corps, according to local sources.

No warrant or formal charges were presented at the time of his detention, and he was not produced before a court, relatives said. His body was later found near an FC camp in Panjgur.

The incident has left the teenager’s family in shock as they mourn the loss of their son.

In another case reported a day earlier, the body of another 17-year-old, also named Yahya Baloch, was found in the Washbood area of Panjgur after months of disappearance.

The teenager Yahya son of Noor Muhammad and a resident of Paroom in Panjgur, had been missing since October 1, 2025. According to his family, he was taken from Airport Road in the Chitkan area of Panjgur at around 7:30 p.m.

Relatives said the family searched for him for nearly six months before his body was recovered on March 3.

Earlier in the week, Talib Nazeer, a Balochi-language singer and shopkeeper from the Minaz area of Buleda in Kech district, was shot dead at his home.

Local reports described Nazeer as an unarmed civilian known for performing songs that promoted Balochi language and culture.

His killing has drawn condemnation from rights groups and activists who say artists, students, and other civilians are increasingly becoming victims of targeted attacks by Pakistani forces and state-backed criminal groups in the region.

Rights advocates say the recent incidents highlight the continuing human rights concerns in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. They have called on international organisations to investigate the cases and press for accountability.