Rights group accuses Pak forces of forcibly disappearing man from Balochistan

Quetta, Oct 6 (IANS) A man was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces from his home in Balochistan's Khuzdar district amid an escalating wave of enforced disappearances across the province, a leading human rights organisation stated on Monday. Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, has identified the victim as Asad Ullah.

In a statement shared on X, Paank stated, "On October 5, 2025, Pakistani security forces forcibly disappeared Asad Ullah, son of Rasool Bakhsh, from his home in the Norgama Zehri area of Khuzdar district. He is a shopkeeper by profession."

On Sunday, Paank said that Hamid Baloch, a resident of Gwadar's Dando, was forcibly disappeared from his hometown by local death squad.

"On October 5, 2025, Hamid Baloch, son of Gwahram and a resident of Dando, Kulanch in Gwadar district, was forcibly disappeared from his hometown. According to local sources, the abduction was carried out by a local death squad operating in coordination with Pakistani security forces," Paank posted on X.

Similarly, Paank mentioned about another incident of enforced disappearance. In a post shared on X, the human rights organisation stated, "Forcible Disappearance of Mumtaz Saleh in Turbat. On October 2, 2025, Mumtaz Saleh, son of Saleh Zaheer, a native of Kashap, Dasht, and recently residing in the Gulshan Abad area of Turbat city, was forcibly taken from his home by Pakistani security forces."

On September 29, a leading Baloch human rights organisation documented widespread human rights violations across Balochistan, including 123 enforced disappearances and 26 killings, carried out by Pakistan-backed death squads and security forces in the month of August.

In its report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) detailed that 123 cases of enforced disappearance were recorded in August, 2025. Of these, 106 individuals remain missing, 12 were released, and five were extrajudicially killed while in custody.

"Quetta recorded the highest number of abductions with 27 cases, followed closely by Kech with 25 and Dera Bugti with 15. Gwadar reported nine cases, Awaran eight, and Karachi seven. Nushki and Panjgur each had five cases, while Dalbandin, Khuzdar, and Washuk reported three each. Chagai, Hub, Lasbela, and Kharan recorded two cases each. Single cases were reported from Punjab, Barkhan, Mastung, Kalat, and Harnai,” the report detailed, highlighting enforced disappearances across Pakistan.

"81 cases were reported during house raids, while 36 people were taken from streets, shops, and offices under the pretext of detention. Three were taken away from checkpoints, and another three were summoned to military camps and then disappeared," the report added.

The HRCB stated that Pakistan's Frontier Corps (FC) was involved in 60 cases of abduction, intelligence agencies were linked to 33, and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) carried out 28 abductions, while two cases were attributed to death squads.

As per the findings, during the same period in August, 26 people, including 24 men and two women, were killed, the majority of them at the hands of Pakistan-backed death squads and security forces. The report noted that the month also saw widespread internet and mobile shutdowns, along with the imposition of Section 144 across the province.

"Most incidents were the result of targetted attacks, with nine cases reported. Five bodies were recovered, and four individuals were killed while in custody. Another four cases were linked to honour-related killings. In addition, two deaths occurred during encounters, while one person was killed in mortar shelling and one in indiscriminate firing," the report stressed.

--IANS

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