As 2024 commenced, Balochistan grappled with ongoing human rights violations at the hands of Pakistani forces. Throughout the initial week of January, the region experienced a distressing array of abuses, including enforced disappearances, persistent harassment, and various other violations. Despite massive protests and an ongoing long march aimed at condemning the Baloch genocide, the army continued its atrocities in the region.
January 1:
In the district of Kech, January 1 marked the abduction of three individuals—Ghulam Rasool son of Sulaiman, Suhail son of Musa, and Aziz son of Mehr Dil. Their homes in the Gomazi area of Tump were raided, and they were forcefully apprehended and disappeared. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
January 3:
A resident of Hoshap, Imam Jan son of Sawali was abducted in Quetta by Pakistani forces. Simultaneously, in Gwadar, Balach son of Rauf suffered abduction by forces accompanied by death squad members. He faced gunpoint beatings during the forcible apprehension.
January 5:
A rickshaw driver in Gwadar fell victim to arbitrary and severe beatings by the army, triggering local protests organized by the Haq do Tehreek at Gwadar’s marine drive. The demonstrators demanded the army’s withdrawal from the city streets, claiming their involvement in subjecting the local residents to lengthy checks and various forms of violations and harassment.
January 6:
The Pakistani forces carried out rockets attacks on civilians in Aapsar, Turbat, resulting in property damaging of the civilians. Such incidents occur on regular basis but have not been properly investigated.
Pakistani forces raided two houses late at night in Nazarabad, Tump Tehsil area of Kech District of Balochistan, and detained a young man, Shah Mir son of Ali Akbar from his house.
Throughout this period, the participants of the Baloch Genocide march endured continuous state-led harassment and threats. Commenced in Turbat, and reaching to Islamabad as a response to the extrajudicial killing of Balach Mola Bakhsh and nine others by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), joined by Families of Baloch missing persons and activists from all over the Pakistan, this 47-day protest sit-in had faced continues harassment by the state-led backings. The police in Islamabad continually disrupted the protest, filing FIRs against leaders like Mahrang Baloch, withholding essential supplies, and verbally assaulting Sammi Deen Baloch, baselessly accusing her of seeking publicity through protests.
The dire situation in Balochistan implores urgent attention from international human rights organizations, highlighting the alarming surge in violations, particularly enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by Pakistan’s armed forces.