Incidents of Enforced Disappearances
In Balochistan, enforced disappearances of Baloch citizens across various cities, including Karachi, continue to be carried out by the Pakistan Army and affiliated agencies.
In November 2024, cases of enforced disappearances, particularly targeting Baloch youth, were reported from 13 districts of Balochistan, as well as Karachi and Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab. Kech district recorded the highest number of incidents, with 31 enforced disappearances reported.
Pakistani forces, including state agencies, forcibly detained 96 people across Balochistan, predominantly targeting Baloch youths.
Extrajudicial Killings
The Pakistan Army engages in extrajudicial killings, directly and indirectly, to evade legal repercussions and possible public backlash. According to the Army’s notorious “kill-and-dump” policy, detailed in the secretive ‘Operation Silence’, thousands of Baloch individuals have been extrajudicially executed following enforced disappearances, with their bodies later abandoned.
In regions where the military takes an active stance in political conflicts, the rule of law dissolves, and state institutions succumb to systemic lawlessness. In Balochistan, the Pakistan military positions itself against the Baloch National Liberation Movement, often responding to insurgent attacks by targeting innocent civilians to instil widespread fear through collective punishment.
Supporting the military’s agenda are criminal collaborators who, with the military’s assistance, form death squads. These squads operate to uphold the Pakistan Army’s political, military, and economic interests, often rewarded with immunity from criminal charges, including theft, robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion.
Documented Cases of Enforced Disappearances and Extrajudicial Killings in Balochistan in the month of November 2024
- Muhammad Nawaz
- Incident: Forcibly disappeared on 10 September 2024 from Loralai district, Balochistan.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces on 6 November 2024 in the Musakhel area, Balochistan.
- Ghulam Buzdar
- Incident: Forcibly disappeared on 21 September 2024 from the Musakhel area, Balochistan.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces on 6 November 2024 in Musakhel, Balochistan.
- Jafar Marri
- Incident: Forcibly disappeared on 21 September 2024 from the Musakhel region, Balochistan.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces on 6 November 2024 in the Musakhel area, Balochistan.
- Bahar Jan
- Background: Resident of Mehi Mashkai, Awaran district. Migrated in June 2015 to Sorab, Kalat district, Balochistan.
- Incident: Unlawfully detained from his home by Pakistani forces.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed in an alleged encounter on 8 November 2024 in Khuzdar district, Balochistan.
- Abdul Khaliq
- Background: Resident of Sorab, Kalat district, Balochistan.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces on 8 November 2024 in Khuzdar district, Balochistan.
- Musadiq Baloch
- Background: Resident of Kohad, Tump tehsil, Kech district, Balochistan.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed by a state-backed death squad on 8 November 2024 in Tump, Balochistan.
- Bashir Ahmed
- Background: Resident of Sarbunder, Gwadar district, Balochistan.
- Incident: Forcibly disappeared on 13 May 2024 from his home by Pakistani forces.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces on 23 November 2024 in Awaran district, Balochistan.
- Abdul Ghaffar Baloch
- Background: Resident of Jiwani, Gwadar district, Balochistan; fisherman by profession.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed on 23 November 2024 on the orders of Coast Guard Major Ahmed.
- Israr Baloch (16-year-old)
- Background: Resident of Dannuk, Turbat, Kech district, Balochistan.
- Incident: Injured in an explosion at Taleemi Chowk, Turbat. Instead of receiving medical care, he was forcibly disappeared by personnel from Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed, and his body was returned to a hospital on 26 November 2024.
- Unidentified Body
- Incident: On 29 November 2024, a mutilated body was discovered in the Tump area, Kech district Balochistan.
- Outcome: The body remains unidentified.
- Assa Baloch
- Background: Resident of Paho, Awaran district, Balochistan.
- Incident: Forcibly disappeared on 17 February 2024 by Pakistani forces.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed on 30 November 2024 in the Bazdad area, Awaran district.
- Faqeer Jan
- Background: Resident of Kunnari, Bazdad, Awaran district, Balochistan.
- Incident: Forcibly disappeared from his home on 26 September 2024 by Pakistani forces.
- Outcome: Extrajudicially killed on 30 November 2024 in the Bazdad area, Awaran district.
Statistics of Enforced Disappearances
The following districts reported cases of enforced disappearances and illegal detentions in November 2024:
Analysis of Enforced Disappearances in November 2024
In November 2024, 98 cases of enforced disappearances and illegal detentions were reported across 15 districts of Balochistan and Karachi. Kech recorded the highest number with 31 cases, followed by Gwadar with 11, reflecting significant repression in these areas. Other districts, including Dera Bugti, Lasbela, and Awaran, also reported several cases, while urban centres like Karachi saw 5, highlighting the extensive reach of these abuses.
This data reveals the systematic nature of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, where communities are left in fear and heartbreak. Each case represents a life torn from their family, with the true scale likely much higher due to underreporting. This alarming trend demands urgent international attention and accountability.
Extrajudicial Killings November 2024
In November 2024, Balochistan witnessed a tragic series ofincidents where victims of enforced disappearances wereextrajudicially killed, highlighting the alarming escalation ofviolence and human rights violations by the Pakistani state.Among the most harrowing cases were those of MuhammadNawaz, Ghulam Buzdar, and Jafar Marri, all forcibly disappearedand later killed on 6 November in the Musakhel area. Similarly,Bashir Ahmed, who had been disappeared from Gwadar in May,was found extrajudicially killed on 23 November in Awaran.These incidents reveal a chilling pattern where individuals areunlawfully detained, subjected to inhumane treatment, andultimately executed without accountability.
This brutality also extended to younger victims like 16-year-old Israr Baloch, who was forcibly disappeared by the Counter Terrorism Department after being injured in an explosion, only to be killed and his body returned on 26 November.
The discovery of a mutilated unidentified body on 29 November in Kech underscores the dehumanising tactics employed. The month ended with two more killings in Awaran, including Assa Baloch and Faqeer Jan, forcibly disappeared earlier in the year. These events expose the systematic and targeted nature of state violence in Balochistan, demanding immediate international scrutiny and intervention to halt the atrocities.
Analysis and Key Findings
The human rights report for November 2024 highlights a grave and systematic crisis in Balochistan, where severe violations occurred within a single month. The reported incidents illustrate a disturbing pattern of state-led oppression carried out by Pakistani forces and affiliated agencies.
Enforced Disappearances
The continued disappearances of Baloch people, including students, reveal a pattern of state-sponsored abductions carried out with impunity by the Pakistan Army and affiliated agencies. Despite the widespread international condemnation, Pakistani authorities remain largely unaccountable for these actions, and local courts appear ineffective in addressing these violations. The targeting of students points to a deliberate attempt to suppress dissent and stifle the future of Baloch youth.
Extrajudicial Killings
The use of death squads, often in collaboration with the military, to execute extrajudicial killings serves as a method of state control and punishment. These killings are presented as part of a broader strategy to undermine the Baloch National Liberation Movement and intimidate the civilian population. The “kill-and- dump” policy, under which Baloch individuals are executed and discarded, shows the extreme measures taken by the state to eliminate opposition without facing legal repercussions.
Torture and Unidentified Bodies
- Torture Victims: 34 individuals reported as torture victims.
- Unidentified Bodies: A mutilated, unidentified body was discovered in the Tump area on 29 November 2024, a recurring trend in enforced disappearances.
Such incidents reveal that torture remains a common tool used during illegal detentions, while unidentified bodies signify a lack of accountability and state efforts to obscure evidence.
State Implication and Regional Impact
- Perpetrators: The violations were carried out by Pakistani forces, including military, state-backed agencies, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), and state-backed death squads.
- Geographical Scope: These violations occurred not only in conflict-prone districts like Kech, Gwadar, and Awaran, but also extended into Karachi and Dera Ghazi Khan, reflecting a broader systematic campaign beyond Balochistan.
- Targeting Civilians: The majority of victims are civilians, including minors, fishermen, and displaced persons.
Conclusion
The November 2024 human rights report demonstrates an alarming escalation of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systematic torture in Balochistan. Within just one month, nearly 100 people were forcibly disappeared, and 12 were killed extrajudicially, underscoring a sustained campaign of violence at the hands of the Pakistani state.
This highlights the urgent need for:
- International human rights monitoring and intervention.
- Justice for victims and accountability for state actors responsible for these abuses.
- Increased awareness and action to address the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan.
The scale and severity of these violations demonstrate that this is not an isolated issue but a systematic assault on the Baloch population.