Two more Baloch civilians extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces: Rights group

Quetta, Sep 24 (IANS) At least two more Baloch civilians were extrajudicially killed by the Pakistani forces in Balochistan as the cycle of persecution continues amid an escalating wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province, said leading human rights organisations on Wednesday.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that Zaheer Baloch, a resident of Gebun in Kech district, was killed in a staged encounter by Pakistani forces on September 19 after being forcibly disappeared from his home on April 16.

“Zaheer’s case is yet another example of the ongoing pattern of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan,” Paank stated.

Additionally, Paank revealed that the mutilated body of Baloch civilian Mehraj Ahmed was found in the Buleda region of Kech district.

Mehraj was forcibly disappeared by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps on September 5, while travelling from Buleda to Turbat city of the province. His whereabouts remained unknown until Tuesday, when his mutilated body was recovered from Alandoor, Buleda.

Balochistan has been reeling under the endless atrocities at the hands of Pakistani authorities, who facilitate death squads in the region to carry out enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and illegal detentions of Baloch people.

Meanwhile, in a separate development on Wednesday, human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) highlighted a violent attack by the Pakistani police on peaceful Baloch students at Lasbela University in Balochistan, injuring several of them.

Condemning the brutal incident, the BVJ said, “The use of direct firing, hostel raids, and mass arrests against unarmed students protesting for basic educational rights is unacceptable and reflects the ongoing repression in academic institutions across Balochistan.”

“Turning universities into military zones while denying students their fundamental rights exposes the state's double standards. On one hand, officials claim to support higher education; on the other, students face bullets for demanding basic facilities,” the rights body added

The BVJ demanded the immediate release of all detained students, proper medical care for the injured, and a transparent investigation into this brutal crackdown.

--IANS

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