Two more Baloch civilians killed at hands of Pak-backed death squads: Rights body

Quetta, Oct 23 (IANS) At least two Baloch youth were extrajudicially killed by a Pakistan-backed death squad in Balochistan, said a leading human rights organisation on Thursday.

The latest act of brutality comes against the backdrop of a continuing cycle of persecution marked by a surge in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture across the province.

Human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) mentioned that Zahoor Baloch, a 20-year-old labourer and a resident of Paroom region in Panjgur district, was forcibly abducted by a state-backed death squad in the early hours of October 20.

Citing witnesses, the rights body stated that the abductors arrived in a Surf vehicle and took Zahoor from his residence. His mutilated body was found the next morning, confirming his extrajudicial killing.

"This tragic incident is not isolated but is part of a systematic campaign of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions targeting the Baloch population. Zahoor's death reflects the persistent climate of fear in Balochistan, where young men are regularly abducted and killed with impunity," the BYC stated.

Highlighting another such horrific incident, the BYC stated that on October 20, the tortured and bullet-riddled body of a Baloch civilian, Faqeer Jan, was found dumped in an open area, exposing yet another extrajudicial killing in Balochistan.

According to the rights body, Faqeer was abducted on the night of October 18 by the state-backed death squad in the Gwaash region of Panjgur.

"The continued silence of human rights organisations and the international community in the face of these grave violations is deeply troubling. We urgently call for an independent investigation and accountability for those responsible for these unlawful killings and the ongoing atrocities in Balochistan," the BYC stressed.

Last week, in its report titled 'Human Rights Situation in Balochistan', the BYC documented widespread abuses specifically perpetrated by the Pakistani authorities between July and August.

"Extrajudicial Killings remain unabated as 29 people were killed during July and August. Most of these cases were of target killings, custodial killings, and kill-and-dump. Districts Kech, Awaran and Khuzdar recorded the most number of cases respectively," read the report.

The report mentioned that 59 per cent of the recorded violations were carried out by Pakistan-backed death squads, and 21 per cent by armed forces, while minors also became targets, with two children killed by mortar shells fired on the civilian population.

--IANS

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