Quetta, July 29 (IANS) A leading human rights organisation has highlighted escalating abuses by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, documenting 77 killings and 63 cases of enforced disappearance during the month of June.
In its latest report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) recorded a total of 77 killings across Balochistan last month, including 76 men and one woman, while the identities of 42 victims could not be verified.
The report noted that 19 of those killed were previously forcibly disappeared persons. Among them, four were abducted in June and killed within the same month, while the remaining 15 were forcibly disappeared in previous months.
“Alleged encounters remained the most frequently documented mode of killing, accounting for 39 cases and representing more than half of all recorded incidents. Target killings accounted for 12 cases, followed by fake encounters with 10 cases and custodial killings with 9 cases. Body discoveries accounted for 3 cases, while honour killings and indiscriminate firing each resulted in two deaths,” the HRCB stated.
As per the findings, Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) was responsible for the highest number of cases, accounting for 53 incidents, followed by unknown perpetrators with 14 cases, while state-backed death squads and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD )were each linked to five cases.
Among the 63 documented victims of enforced disappearance, the HRCB said that two were women and three were teenagers. It added that only 17 of those forcibly disappeared were released during the month, while the remaining victims continue to be held incommunicado.
The report identified the FC as the primary perpetrator in enforced disappearances, accounting for 36 cases, followed by Pakistani intelligence agencies with 16 cases, state-backed death squads with six cases and the CTD with five cases.
“House raids continued to be the primary method used to carry out enforced disappearances, accounting for 27 cases (42.86%). Detentions accounted for 20 cases (31.75%), while 10 victims (15.87%) were forcibly disappeared during military operations. Three victims disappeared after being summoned to an FC camp (4.76%), and another three were detained at a security checkpoint (4.76%),” the HRCB report mentioned.
The HRCB alleged that Pakistani forces also carried out a series of military operations in Balochistan during the same period that resulted in the destruction of civilian property, prolonged restrictions on movement, and intimidation of civilians and human rights defenders.
“Repeated night raids across Kech involved assault, intimidation of women and children, and looting of property, including a prolonged raid on human rights defender Sammi Deen Baloch’s home,” it further added.
–IANS
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