Pakistan Forces Kill and Abduct Civilians and Journalists

The Military of Pakistan and state-backed death squads killed three civilians and forcibly disappeared six others between June and August 2026 across Balochistan, Karachi, and Islamabad. On August 5, Inayatullah Jattak was shot dead in Khuzdar shortly after his daughter warned of threats from a death squad led by Zahoor Jamalzai. Other victims include Attahullah Baloch, killed June 21, and Salman Bangulzai, whose body was found in Panjgur on July 31 after months of disappearance.

Security forces also carried out abductions on August 5, targeting brothers Shahid and Fahad Bijjar during a raid in Kech and detaining student Khalil Ahmed from Karachi University. Human rights groups describe these actions as a systematic campaign of intimidation and collective punishment.

Simultaneously, the government is accused of silencing the press. On August 1, men in police uniforms reportedly abducted journalists Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif from their Islamabad office. Both had been reporting on unrest and internet blackouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. While Islamabad police have not acknowledged the detentions, the Committee to Protect Journalists demanded their unconditional release. Additionally, Kashmiri journalist Syed Farhad Ali Shah began a hunger strike on July 28 while in detention in the Bagh district.