Several human rights organizations and activists have strongly denounced the extrajudicial killing of a prominent academic in Balochistan by Pakistani forces. The victim, Ghamkhwar Hayat, a well-known poet, literary scholar, and educator, was reportedly shot dead in the Killi Mengal area of Nushki district by individuals associated with Pakistan-backed death squads. This incident is part of a concerning trend of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the region.
The Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, Paank, highlighted the targeted killing of intellectuals, educators, and poets in Balochistan, expressing deep concern over the repeated attacks on civilians. According to Naseem Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), the killing of Hayat is not an isolated event but a part of the broader Baloch genocide and collective punishment against the Baloch people. The aim, as stated by a Baloch activist, is to undermine the intellectual and cultural foundation of the Baloch nation through such acts of violence.
Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) strongly condemned the brutal murder of Hayat, emphasizing the perilous environment faced by critical voices and intellectuals in Balochistan. The organization stressed that attacks on scholars and writers not only target individuals but also threaten the collective memory and future of a community already enduring repression and human rights violations. Additionally, the enforced disappearance of senior academic figures from the University of Gwadar has raised serious concerns about the safety and protection of intellectuals in the region.
