Balochistan [Pakistan], November 3 (ANI): The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB), in its September 2026 monthly report, has documented 54 cases of enforced disappearances and 66 killings across Balochistan, raising concerns over the continuing human rights situation in the region.
According to the report, the disappearances included three female victims, among them a seven-year-old girl, while nine teenagers were also among those reported missing. The report further stated that 14 of the 66 people killed during the month had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance.
Citing its findings, HRCB stated that of the 54 recorded disappearance cases, five related to incidents from previous months. The victims included 51 males and three females. Only 11 individuals had reappeared by the time of the report, four of whom were subsequently reported killed in custody, while the majority remained unaccounted for.
According to the report, house raids accounted for the largest number of abductions, with 32 cases (59.3 per cent), followed by 20 cases (37 per cent) involving detention and two cases (3.7 per cent) reported at check-posts. The Frontier Corps (FC) was identified as the alleged perpetrator in 30 cases (55.6 per cent), followed by intelligence agencies in 15 cases (27.8 per cent), the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in five cases (9.3 per cent) and alleged death squads in four cases (7.4 per cent).
HRCB’s data identified labourers as the largest occupational group among those disappeared, with 11 cases, followed by seven students and three tailors. The report also documented cases involving veterinary doctors, shepherds, shopkeepers and drivers.
Geographically, Kech recorded the highest number of disappearances at 23, followed by Quetta with 10 and Panjgur with four. The cases were reported across 13 locations.
The report highlighted several cases involving minors and students. On September 3, two 14-year-old shepherds, Qamber and Zubair, were reportedly taken away by FC personnel in the Tump area of Kech. Another individual, Hussain, who was taken into custody alongside them, was subsequently found dead on October 14.
HRCB cited the family’s allegation that he had been killed and his body dumped after more than a month of disappearance. On September 19, two 16- and 17-year-old students, Salman Baloch and Majid Baloch, were also reportedly abducted in Surab.
Regarding killings, HRCB documented 66 deaths during September, including 59 men and seven women. Eight victims could not be identified. The report classified 21 deaths as killings in encounters, 13 as target killings and 10 as custodial killings.
Shelling, drone strikes, fake encounters and indiscriminate firing accounted for five cases each, while two involved the discovery of bodies. The FC was identified as the alleged perpetrator in 45 of the 66 cases.
Kech recorded the highest number of reported killings with 15 cases, followed by Khuzdar and Mastung with 10 each.
The report also documented civilian casualties allegedly resulting from military operations. On September 8, four members of a family, including a mother and her three daughters, were reportedly killed in military shelling in Mastung. On September 10, four members of another family, including two minors, were allegedly killed during an FC raid in Wadh, Khuzdar.
HRCB also highlighted the September 25 drone strike in Tump, in which four men, Sameer, Yasir, Zubair and Didag, were reportedly killed while gathered for a picnic. According to the report, the men earned their livelihoods through border-related work and had informed the military about their planned outing before departing.
HRCB stated that security forces subsequently labelled them terrorists and circulated images of their bodies on social media.
The report further documented cases of individuals who had previously disappeared and were later found dead. On September 17, the bodies of three men, Nadil Baloch, Ahsan Baloch and Hassan Rafiq, were recovered in Gwadar.
All three had reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance before being found with bullet wounds. It also recorded the deaths of several individuals allegedly linked to custodial killings, target attacks and encounters.
Beyond disappearances and killings, HRCB highlighted other developments, including the life imprisonment sentence handed to Baloch Yakjehti Committee member Gulzadi Baloch. Citing her lawyer, the report raised concerns over due process, alleging that the sentence was issued in her absence without legal representation or arguments being heard.
The report also noted the imposition of Section 144 across Balochistan for 30 days from September 23, restricting public gatherings, rallies, demonstrations and processions. Other incidents included the alleged burning of a civilian house during a security operation in Tump, the presentation of two previously disappeared Baloch students at Quetta Press Club, and reported harassment of journalists and healthcare workers in Turbat. (ANI)
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