Pakistani forces accused of extrajudicially killing noted academic in Balochistan

Quetta, May 16 Several leading human rights organisations and activists on Saturday strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of a leading academician in Balochistan by Pakistani forces.

This latest incident comes against the backdrop of a growing wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances across the province.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department, mentioned that Ghamkhwar Hayat, a prominent poet, literary scholar, and educator, was reportedly shot dead by individuals linked to Pakistan-backed death squads in the Killi Mengal area of Nushki district.

The rights body expressed deep concern over the repeated attacks on intellectuals, educators, poets, and civilians in the province.

Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), said that the targeted killing of Hayat was not an isolated incident but part of the ongoing Baloch genocide and the collective punishment against the people of Balochistan.

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Condemning the brutal killing of Hayat, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) said, “The murder of a respected Brahui poet, academic, and intellectual reflects the dangerous environment in Balochistan, where critical voices and members of the intellectual community continue to face violence and intimidation.”

“Attacks on scholars and writers are attacks on the collective memory, consciousness, and future of a people already enduring decades of repression and human rights violations,” it added.

The BVJ also raised grave concern over the enforced disappearance of University of Gwadar Vice Chancellor Razzaq Sabir, Pro Vice Chancellor Manzoor Ahmed, a lecturer, and their driver, which it said had entered its third day on Saturday.

“Universities are meant to be spaces of knowledge, dialogue, and intellectual growth. When senior academic figures vanish without any legal process, it sends a chilling message across society that even education and scholarship are no protection against repression. Families are left in pain while authorities refuse to provide answers or accountability,” the rights body stated.

“The systematic use of enforced disappearance has created an environment where fear replaces justice and silence replaces truth. International human rights standards clearly prohibit arbitrary detention and secret imprisonment, yet these violations continue openly in Balochistan with complete impunity for those responsible,” it added.

Highlighting the atrocities against civilians in Balochistan, Paank on Saturday further revealed that another 15-year-old student, Sarbaz, was abducted from his home in Nushki on May 10 during a raid carried out by personnel of Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Frontier Corps.

“The enforced disappearance of a minor is a grave violation of fundamental human rights and raises serious concerns regarding the safety and protection of civilians in Balochistan,” it stated.

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