Quetta, June 19 (IANS) As violence against civilians continues unabated across Balochistan, leading human rights organisations on Friday brought to light the extrajudicial killing of two civilians and the enforced disappearance of two others allegedly at the hands of Pakistani forces.
Human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) revealed that the bullet-riddled body of 22-year-old driver Mujahid was recovered near the Chakul area in the Panjgur district on Thursday after he had remained missing for more than 10 days.
According to the BYC, Mujahid was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces on the night of June 7 from the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Road area in the Sarsand region of Panjgur. The rights body noted his family received no information about his whereabouts during the period of his disappearance.
“Families of disappeared persons and human rights defenders have repeatedly called for transparent investigations into cases of enforced disappearance, unlawful killings, and other human rights violations. However, state institutions have failed to respond adequately when it comes to Balochistan,” the BYC stated.
In a separate incident, a 33-year-old Gul Badeen Notezai was killed by the Pakistani Army on June 17 in the Dalbandin region of Chagai District.
Condemning the killing, the BYC said, “The incident has raised serious concerns among local residents regarding the safety and protection of civilians. Gul Badeen Notezai, along with many other innocent civilians in Balochistan, has become part of a wider pattern of incidents that continue to raise serious concerns about the safety, protection, and rights of people in the region.”
The rights body called for an immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation into the incident, urging the Pakistani authorities to ensure that all those responsible are identified and held accountable under the law.
Highlighting the atrocities against civilians in Balochistan, human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) on Friday alleged that another two Baloch youths were forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces.
According to the rights body, 21-year-old labourer Adil Baloch was forcibly disappeared on June 6 from the Killi Loher Karez area in provincial capital Quetta, while an 18-year-old labourer, Ubaid Baloch, was taken from Dalbandin on June 14.
Calling on the government of Pakistan to take immediate action, the BVJ said, “Those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable, and an end must be put to the ongoing practice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Silence and inaction only deepen the suffering of victims and their families.”
–IANS
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