Quetta, Feb 10 (IANS) As violence against civilians continue to escalate in Balochistan, a leading human rights organisation brought to light two separate incidents—the enforced disappearance of a Baloch civilian in Hub district and the extrajudicial killing of another civilian in Kech district, allegedly at the hands of Pakistani forces.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that Sohrab, a resident of Tump region in Kech, was forcibly disappeared from Baloch Colony in Hub on February 8, during a house raid by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

The rights body stated that this marked Sohrab’s third enforced disappearance; he was previously detained for five days in 2017 and 40 days in 2019 before being released.

Paank further revealed that on February 8, a mutilated body of Baloch civilian Nisar was found in the Buleda region in Kech. Citing local sources, the rights body stated that he was forcibly disappeared by a death squad and killed the same day.

Earlier on Sunday, the Baloch National Movement (BNM) organised a protest demonstration at Porta Nigra Square in the German city of Trier to draw international attention to the ongoing systematic and grave human rights violations in Balochistan by Pakistani forces.

Expressing solidarity with the people of Balochistan, the protesters voiced serious concern over enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and Pakistan’s repression against political dissenters and human rights activists. The participants stated that these actions are being carried out in an organised manner by the Pakistani authorities.

“Through placards, banners, and speeches, the protesters urged the international community, global human rights organisations, and the media to break their silence on the situation in Balochistan. Speakers emphasised that despite decades of documented and persistent human rights abuses, the suffering of the Baloch nation continues to be ignored on international platforms,” the BNM stated.

The demonstration also highlighted the severe impact of these abuses on women, children, and the families of enforced disappearances.

During the protest, the speakers noted that the “families of the disappeared—especially mothers and children—have been demanding justice and the safe return of their loved ones through peaceful struggle for years, yet they are being subjected to collective punishment instead of receiving justice.”

The speakers also sharply criticized the actions of the Pakistan Army, alleging that it is using force against civilians in Balochistan.

Highlighting that in recent days, dozens of people have reportedly been killed in direct military action in several districts across Balochistan including Gwadar, Mastung, and Kech, the protesters said “these circumstances place a responsibility on the international community to reassess military and economic aid, defense partnerships, and arms sales to Pakistan”.

The protesters demanded that the United Nations, the European Union, and international human rights bodies conduct independent investigations into the human rights violations in Balochistan by Pakistani authorities and hold those responsible accountable under international law.

--IANS

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