Rights body flags rising enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings in Balochistan
Quetta, May 19 (IANS) A leading human rights organisation highlighted escalating abuses by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, citing the continuing pattern of enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings across the province.
In its latest report, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department documented 29 cases of extrajudicial killings throughout March this year, highlighting the “lethal consequences of unchecked state power”.
Additionally, a total of 56 cases of enforced disappearances were recorded, reflecting widespread and systematic targeting of civilians.
“The cases recorded during March 2026 reveal a deeply concerning pattern of state repression, arbitrary detentions, physical and psychological torture, and unlawful executions carried out by Pakistani security forces. These abuses underscore a continuing climate of impunity and fear across Balochistan,” Paank stated.
Paank called on international human rights organisations, the United Nations, and civil society to take immediate notice of the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan and to press for accountability, justice, and the protection of civilians.
Meanwhile, human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) strongly condemned the brutal killing of academician Ghamkhar Hayat, describing the incident as a continuation of repression by Pakistani authorities against “knowledge, the pen, and consciousness.”
Hayat, a prominent poet, literary scholar, and educator, was reportedly shot dead by individuals linked to Pakistan-backed death squads on May 16 in the Killi Mengal area of the Nushki district of Balochistan.
“The savage killing of the renowned writer, intellectual, and professor, Professor Ghamkhar Hayat Baloch, is a continuation of the ongoing policy in Balochistan, where knowledge, the pen, and consciousness are being silenced through state coercion. This tragic incident is not merely the murder of an individual but a brutal assault on the intellectual foundations of the Baloch nation, the promotion of mother tongues, and the collective national consciousness,” the BYC stated.
According to the BYC, for decades, Balochistan has witnessed continuing “genocide” of civilians, with teachers, intellectuals, journalists, students, and political activists targeted under a systematic policy.
“From Professor Saba Dashtiyari to Professor Razzaq and now Professor Ghamkhar Hayat, this is the ongoing genocide of Baloch knowledge and consciousness. Although Professor Ghamkhar Hayat’s voice has been physically silenced, his scholarly legacy, his writings, and his consciousness will forever remain alive to guide the Baloch nation and future generations,” the rights body noted.
–IANS
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