Rights group spotlights surge in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings in Balochistan

Quetta, Aug 28 A leading human rights organisation on Thursday highlighted that hundreds of Baloch civilians were forcibly disappeared and several killed by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan during the month of July as the cycle of persecution continues amid a surge in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) in its July 2025 report documented 112 cases of enforced disappearance across the province. Of these, 89 individuals remain missing, 15 were released, and eight were killed extrajudicially in custody. During the same period, the rights body said, 49 people were killed, including 44 men and five women by the Pakistani security forces.

Among the 112 cases, the HRCB noted that 106 were first-time abductions, while six involved individuals had previously been abducted. Among the disappeared were eight minors taken by Pakistani forces; one was killed in custody, one was later released, and five remain missing.

"The majority of abductions, 77 cases, occurred during house raids. Twenty-seven individuals were picked up from the streets, shops, and offices under the pretext of detention. Six were abducted at checkpoints, while two were summoned to military camps and subsequently disappeared,” read the report.

As per the findings of the rights body, Pakistan's Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were implicated in 49 cases, while the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was responsible for 32. On the other hand, Pakistani Intelligence agencies carried out 25 abductions, and six cases were attributed to Pakistan-backed death squads.

"Kech recorded the highest number of abductions with 34 cases, followed by Quetta with 16, Gwadar with 13, and Awaran with 11. Barkhan reported seven cases, Karachi six, and Panjgur five. Dera Bugti had four cases, while Nushki and Taunsa reported three each. Two cases were recorded in Hub, and single cases were reported from Mastung, Kalat, Washuk, Khuzdar, Kharan, Chagai, Naseerabad, and Islamabad,” the report said, detailing accounts of enforced disappearances of Baloch people carried across Pakistan.

On Wednesday, Baloch families continued their sit-in protest for the 40th consecutive day in Islamabad against enforced disappearance and illegal detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders.

The BYC stated that for over a month, during the ongoing protest, these families, including elderly women, mothers, and children, have been braving harsh weather, road blockades, harassment, and mistreatment at the hands of Pakistani authorities, while their resolve remains unbroken.

"Despite being denied the right to peacefully assemble in front of the National Press Club, the families continue to sit under the open sky, carrying forward their demand for justice, the release of their loved ones, and an end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan,” the rights body stressed.

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