Quetta, September 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Human rights groups have raised concerns over alleged civilian casualties, enforced disappearances and restrictions on movement during ongoing security operations in Balochistan, with separate allegations emerging from the Zehri and Turbat regions.
The Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) has condemned what it described as intensified Pakistani military operations in Zehri in Khuzdar district, alleging that a woman was killed and two others injured in a drone strike on residential areas, while 25 local residents were allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance.
According to the rights organisation, the woman was reportedly collecting water when the alleged drone strike took place. BVJ said the identities of those affected and the current condition of the injured could not be independently verified.
The organisation further alleged that Pakistani security forces took 25 local residents into custody and that their whereabouts remain unknown.
The allegations come amid a prolonged curfew in Zehri, which BVJ said has remained in place for several months. It also claimed that mobile phone services have been suspended across the area, making it difficult to establish the status of people who were allegedly detained, killed or injured.
“Targeting civilians, subjecting people to enforced disappearance, and restricting access to information and communication raise serious human rights concerns and require urgent, independent investigation,” BVJ said.
The rights group urged the United Nations and international human rights organisations to investigate the allegations, seek information from Pakistani authorities regarding the whereabouts and safety of those reported missing, and ensure protection for civilians.
In a separate development in the Turbat region, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) criticised what it described as arbitrary road closures and alleged violence against civilians by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC).
According to the BYC, roads in Turbat were reportedly closed for several hours to provide VIP protocol to social media influencers and content creators who had arrived from Islamabad. The organisation claimed that the restrictions caused difficulties for thousands of people, including schoolchildren, patients, doctors, hospital staff and businesspeople.
The BYC further alleged that when patients and senior doctors questioned the road closures, they faced violence from FC personnel. It claimed that a rifle was pointed at a doctor and that he was threatened with being shot.
The organisation also alleged that a pregnant woman was among those subjected to violence. Following the incident, the public, patients and hospital staff at Turbat Teaching Hospital reportedly boycotted their duties, demanding an end to what they described as a curfew-like situation and action against officials accused of assaulting civilians.
The BYC also criticised what it described as efforts to promote “fake narratives” while imposing restrictions on ordinary citizens, arguing that security measures should not come at the cost of basic freedom of movement.
The allegations made by the two rights organisations could not be independently verified from the information available in the report.
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