Pakistani Military Accused of Killing and Disappearing Civilians

The Military of Pakistan is facing allegations of human rights abuses in Balochistan, including the killing of a civilian and the forced disappearance of another. In the Jhao region of the Awaran district, military forces reportedly used heavy mortar shelling and indiscriminate gunfire, killing a resident named Zahid and injuring several others. Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement, stated that the military confiscated Zahid's body, preventing his family from performing funeral rites.

In Quetta, security personnel allegedly detained a resident of the Khuzdar district named Asif during an early-morning operation in Emaan City. Reports indicate Asif was taken around 5 a.m. on July 17 and moved to an unknown location without official notification to his family. This detention coincides with a massive, 6,225-day protest outside the Quetta Press Club led by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP).

Human rights advocates have condemned these actions as violations of international law. Paank described the confiscation of the victim's body as an abhorrent practice. VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch demanded that the government produce all detainees before a court in accordance with the Constitution and legal procedures, continuing his advocacy for the recovery of missing persons including Jahanzeb Mohammad Hassani, who disappeared in 2016.