Rights group condemns Pakistani military strike in Balochistan, four civilians injured
Additionally, raising alarm over the enforced disappearance of local doctor Shah Jahan during the operation, the rights body said that he was taken to an undisclosed location while his home was reportedly set on fire.
Quetta: A leading human rights organisation has strongly condemned a Pakistani military operation in Balochistan’s Kharan district, which reportedly injured four civilians and led to the enforced disappearance of another individual.
Citing reports, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) mentioned that mortar shelling by Pakistani forces on April 25 struck a residential area in Lijjay region of Kharan, seriously injuring two women, a man, and a one-year-old child. The victims identified as Bibi Zakira, Bibi Shafiqa, Hafiz Tahir, and Nadia were reportedly denied transportation for urgent medical care.
Additionally, raising alarm over the enforced disappearance of local doctor Shah Jahan during the operation, the rights body said that he was taken to an undisclosed location while his home was reportedly set on fire.
“The abduction of civilians during military operations and the collective punishment of families are unacceptable and unlawful practices. Reports of looting of shops, seizure of goods, and destruction of private property by Pakistani forces and affiliated militias deepen concerns over the lawlessness imposed on local populations under the cover of security operations,” the HRCB stated.
The rights body stressed that Pakistani authorities are violating “constitutional obligations, domestic laws, and international human rights commitments” through enforced disappearances, collective punishment, and abuses against civilians in Balochistan.
“The continued militarisation of Balochistan has created an atmosphere where civilian lives, dignity, and security remain under constant threat,” it added.
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The HRCB called on international human rights bodies to take urgent note of the worsening situation in Balochistan.
Meanwhile, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of a 32-year-old student, Malik Babul Baloch, a resident of the Tal Dary Khan region of the Mastung district in Balochistan.
Citing reports, the right body stated that Malik was taken by personnel of Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on the evening of April 28 from the Polytechnical College of Technology hostel in the provincial capital Quetta.
Expressing grave concern over Malik’s safety and well-being, Paank called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose his location, while ensuring his safe release.
As violence against civilians continues to escalate across Balochistan, a sit-in protest staged by the students outside Bolan Medical College (BMC) in Quetta entered its ninth consecutive day on Thursday, with demonstrators demanding the release of Khadija Baloch.
According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Khadija was abducted on April 21 by Pakistani security forces from the BMC female hostel in Quetta and shifted to an undisclosed location.
Slamming the Pakistani authorities over alleged harassment, the BYC said, “Rather than engaging in dialogue and securing Khadija Baloch’s return, the state is profiling her family, harassing them, and attempting to arrest them. These are not the actions of a civilised state; they are the actions of a mafia.”
