Human Rights Violations in Balochistan: An Alarming September Report

PAANK's report highlights significant human rights abuses in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and increased persecution under Pakistan's Fourth Schedule. The report calls for urgent attention to the plight of political activists and protestors in the region, demanding the end to oppressive policies and violent crackdowns.

The PAANK report, part of the Baloch National Movement's human rights wing, has brought grave allegations against Pakistan's armed forces. Their findings from September include 41 cases of enforced disappearances, three extrajudicial killings, and 25 incidents of torture in Balochistan.

The report criticizes the Pakistani government's Fourth Schedule policy, which it claims unjustly targets political workers, lawyers, doctors, and academics by placing them under surveillance. Many are accused of ties to armed groups, a move that allegedly legitimizes their detention.

Despite agreements to release detained protestors, the government has reportedly increased pressure on peaceful activists, with notable cases like the detention and subsequent killing of two brothers in Qalat. Gwadar, Kech, and Mastung have seen the highest incidents of such abuses.

(With inputs from agencies.)