Quetta: Two more Baloch civilians have been extrajudicially killed by Pakistan-backed death squads in Balochistan, deepening concerns over an alarming rise in state-sponsored violence across the province, a leading human rights organisation reported on Wednesday.
According to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the latest killings come amid a persistent cycle of persecution marked by extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture of civilians.
The BYC identified one of the victims as 31-year-old Najeeb Ullah, a resident of Meri-a-Kallag in Kech district and an employee at a local government school. He was shot dead on the morning of October 30 when armed assailants in a white Toyota Corolla opened fire on him.
“The killing of Najeeb Ullah reflects a recurring pattern of extrajudicial executions and staged encounters by state-backed militant groups in Balochistan,” BYC said in its statement, adding that such acts have fostered an environment of fear and lasting psychological trauma among civilians.
The committee also reported the killing of Abdul Khaliq, a resident of Dashti Bazar in Kech, who was abducted on October 28 and later found dead four days later on the banks of the Kech River. His body bore multiple gunshot wounds and clear signs of torture.
According to BYC, Khaliq had previously served in Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) but was targeted after refusing orders from senior military officials to torture and kill Baloch detainees. His defiance and subsequent decision to live independently allegedly led to his abduction and execution by state-backed death squads.
Local sources cited by the BYC claimed Khaliq’s killing was part of a policy of collective punishment carried out against those who resist or dissent.
Meanwhile, Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), condemned the recent enforced disappearance of two Baloch youths, identified as Shayak Qambarani and Saleh Muhammad, allegedly abducted by Pakistani security forces and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) from Quetta.
“Enforced disappearances constitute a serious violation of international human rights law, including the ICCPR and the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, both of which Pakistan has ratified,” Paank stated. “Despite repeated international appeals, the state continues to act with complete impunity.”
The organisation demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all disappeared persons, including Qambarani and Muhammad, and urged the United Nations and global human rights groups such as Amnesty International to take urgent notice of the worsening human rights crisis in Balochistan.
