Quetta, March 17, 2026
As violence against civilians intensifies across Balochistan, leading human rights organisations brought to light the extrajudicial killing of two civilians, the enforced disappearance of two others and the release of another following weeks of torture in detention.
These latest incidents come against the backdrop of a growing wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province.
Human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) mentioned that 24-year-old Muhammad Ismail was killed by a Pakistan-backed death squad on March 9, in Kharan district.
According to the BYC, Ismail had survived enforced disappearance in June 2025 and was released in January this year, only to be “hunted and killed” weeks later.
The rights body described the brutal act as part of the “systematic effort to terrorise and silence the Baloch people”.
The BYC appealed to the international community and human rights defenders to take immediate action and stand with the Baloch people in their struggle for “justice, dignity, and freedom”.
Highlighting the atrocities against civilians in Balochistan, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department condemned the brutal killing of 26-year-old shopkeeper Hatum Baloch in Kech district on March 4.
Citing reports, Paank mentioned that Hatum was lured out of his shop by unidentified armed men travelling in a white vehicle. When he attempted to escape, the attackers opened fire, killing him on the spot.
The rights body also criticised the brutal torture of Baloch civilian Imdad Seyad, who was released on March 14, after being forcibly disappeared on February 6 from Turbat city in Kech.
Paank stated that Seyad’s condition at the time of release was alarming.
“Visible marks of violence on his body and his weakened condition strongly suggest that he was held in an undisclosed detention facility where he endured inhumane treatment,” it noted.
Expressing concern, Paank said, “The abduction of civilians without legal process, their secret detention, and their eventual release in tortured conditions reflect a continued pattern of impunity enjoyed by security forces operating in Balochistan. Such practices violate fundamental human rights, including the right to liberty, dignity, and protection from torture.”
Additionally, Paank revealed that another two civilians were subjected to enforced disappearance at the hands of Pakistani forces from the Jiwani area of Gwadar district in Balochistan.
The rights body cited reports stating that 18-year-old students Zaeem and Kambar were forcibly disappeared on March 10 from Panwan region in Jiwani by personnel affiliated with the Frontier Corps (FC) and Military Intelligence (MI).(Agency)
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