In a recent development, the Baloch Republican Party has reported a protest demonstration in the city of Gottingen, Germany, against the ongoing military operations by the Pak Army in Pak-occupied Balochistan. The demonstration aimed to draw attention to forced disappearances and fake encounters that have led to the tragic deaths of young individuals in the resource-rich troubled region.

Protesters voiced their concerns over the continuous rise in military aggression by the Pakistan Army in Pak-occupied- Balochistan. According to their accounts, a recent military operation in Bolan specifically targeted a significant number of people, subjecting them to forced disappearances. Disturbingly, reports emerged of local homes being set ablaze and their livestock being looted during these operations.

The activists further emphasized that thousands of cases of forced disappearances persist across Pak-occupied Balochistan, with Dera Bugti as one of the affected areas. In response to these atrocities, the Baloch Republican Party appealed to international human rights organizations and the global community, urging them to take a stance against Army-sponsored terrorism.

Baloch activists, through their rallies and campaigns on foreign soil, are working to bring attention to the challenges and dreams of the Baloch people, both within and outside Pakistan.

These activists are actively participating in a petition, urging international authorities to address the ongoing hardships faced by their community. They are specifically calling on the United Nations and human rights organizations to intervene and hold those responsible for the crimes in Balochistan accountable. To ensure a thorough investigation, the activists are advocating for a fact-finding mission led by the United Nations Working Group.

Balochistan, known as one of Pakistan’s most underdeveloped regions, has faced numerous atrocities committed by the Army and its intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). These actions include abductions, killings, and torture, creating an atmosphere of fear among the Baloch people. Injustice and alienation have driven Baloch individuals to voice their concerns on the international platform against the oppression they face.

Recently, during Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan’s visit to Gwadar residents strongly protested, bringing the convoy to a standstill. The incident occurred when locals from TTSC Colony blocked Airport Road at Tahiri Plaza, citing the inadequate response to the flooding crisis in Gwadar in Pak-occupied Balochistan.

For the past six days, residents have been suffering as their homes have been submerged in 5 to 6 feet of water due to flood in the region, with no assistance from the district administration and provincial authority. The torrential rains have not only left large areas inaccessible but have also resulted in a shortage of essential supplies, exacerbating the challenges faced by the people of Gwadar.

Protesters urged immediate and robust relief efforts in the rain-affected regions, emphasizing the need for prompt rescue operations. The situation in Gwadar mirrors the plight of other areas in Pak-occupied Balochistan, where floodwaters have breached residential areas, causing significant damage and hampering the delivery of aid.

Gwadar’s Paradox

Notably, the ongoing heavy rains have not spared Gwadar, prompting residents and organizations to hold the Pakistan and Chinese projects accountable. The projects of the brutal Pak Army and their Chinese ally have obstructed the natural flow of water, leading to the inundation of the city, and heightening tensions among the affected population.

The much-hyped infrastructure projects that the Chinese promised the Army at the cost of the Baloch community have fallen short; locals grapple with basics like clean water and electricity. And the recent rains have further exposed the city’s vulnerability. The promised benefits of development seem elusive for those it aimed to uplift.

This prompts us to ask who truly benefits from Gwadar’s development. While the Army and Chinese revel in newfound prosperity, the true owners of the land struggle to meet basic needs.

After skipping summons in the Baloch missing students’ case twice, Pakistan’s ex-caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar finally appeared in the Islamabad High Court [IHC] last Wednesday. The summons had been issued by Islamabad High Court [IHC] senior Puisne Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani hearing a petition filed by human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari regarding enforced disappearance of 59 Baloch students.

Remarking that the “Caretaker prime minister should not consider coming to court as an insult,” Justice Kayani noted that “Even after 21 hearings, the absence of positive results [on recovery of the missing students] is an insult to the Constitution of Pakistan.” He accordingly wrote in his order that “There is no way out except to summon the prime minister, ministers, and secretaries to inform the court why the matter is not being given due importance.” 

However, rather than accepting institutional failure and informing the court about the steps being taken to recover the missing Baloch students, Kakar instead tried to obfuscate the issue by going on a tangent. Brazenly absolving the government of any lapses, he went on to complain that “The series of accusations [of rampant enforced disappearances in Balochistan] leveled against the state every other day should stop.”

Kakar’s complete lack of concern about enforced disappearances in Balochistan became evident when he told a reporter while leaving the court he had “defended the allegations against the state in the name of enforced disappearances.” Though extremely shameful, this irresponsible utterance comes as no big surprise as it’s not the first time that the powers-that-be in Pakistan have exhibited such a callous attitude towards the brutalised people of Balochistan.

In April 2019, while replying to Geo TV anchor Hamid Mir’s query of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, the then Director General [DG] of Pakistan Army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had the gall to say that “You have a deep attachment with missing persons [but] so have we. We don’t wish that anyone should be missing. But when it’s war, you have to do a lot of [unpleasant] things- as they say, all is fair in love and war; war is very ruthless.” [Emphasis added].

Three months later, in a tweet DGISPR admitted that some missing people include “Those with the state [who] are under legal process.” The acknowledgement that those “under legal process” are being forcibly disappeared as a matter of routine is indeed very disturbing as it’s an unambiguous admission of the Pakistan Army’s complicity in orchestrating enforced disappearances through various agencies and covert ‘death squads’ that operate in Balochistan under its command.

The issue of enforced disappearances in Pakistan is so acute that the Human Rights Watch World Report 2019 on Pakistan which states, “During counter-terrorism operations, Pakistani security forces often are responsible for serious human rights violations including torture, enforced disappearances, detention without charge, and extrajudicial killings. . . Counterterrorism laws also continue to be misused as an instrument of political coercion. Authorities do not allow independent monitoring of trials in military courts and many defendants are denied the right to a fair trial.” [Emphasis added].

One would run out of space to list out all incidents of enforced disappearances in Balochistan as they run into thousands. Nevertheless, two such cases deserve mention as they indicate the dizzy heights of institutional impunity. The first incident is one that grabbed international attention on April 26, 2010, when Asian Human Rights Commission [AHRC] issued an urgent appeal [AHRC-UAC-053-2010] soliciting public support through appeals to concerned authorities on Pakistan’s High Court’s inability to recover 35 year old Baloch person named Jalil Reki Baloch who was abducted by persons in plain clothes on 13 February 2009.”

Two things make this AHRC appeal more disconcerting. One, it clearly states that Jalil Baloch “is still missing fifteen months after his arrest by plain clothed intelligence agents, and despite admissions by officials that he is in custody.” [Emphasis added], and two, there’s a specific mention that “Although the Supreme Court has made strong efforts to address the issue of disappearances in Pakistan it remains unable to hold military staff, such as those from the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency answerable for illegal arrests and detentions.” [Emphasis added].

The AHRC appeal campaign failed to locate or save Baloch. Two years and eight months after he was forcibly disappeared in broad daylight in the presence of numerous witnesses, Baloch’s dead body with gruesome torture marks was recovered near Turbat city in Kech district of Balochistan. He had been shot through the heart execution-style and ended up as yet another name in the long list of Pakistan Army’s infamous ‘kill and dump’ victims.

The second case is more recent and concerns the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of another Baloch named Balaach Mola Bakhsh, which confirms that Pakistan Army’s abduct, kill and dump policy continues unabated.

Bakhsh was abducted by Counter Terrorism Department [CTD] personnel from his house in Turbat on October 29 last year. However, a First Information Report against him was filed by CTD only after 22 days in which it was alleged that Baalach was apprehended on November 20 and five kg explosives were found in his possession. He was produced in court by CTD on November 21.

On November 23, CTD claimed that four terrorists of a “proscribed group” had been killed in an encounter in Turbat the previous night. Surprisingly, Baalach [who was then on remand in CTD custody] was listed as one amongst the terrorists killed. This barefaced extrajudicial killing led to massive public outcry and to cover their crime, CTD changed its original version and claimed that Baalach was killed in crossfire when he was leading a CTD team to a terrorist hideout.

This incident sparked the December 2023 March against Baloch Genocide and has brought back the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan under international scrutiny. Unfortunately, just like in the past, no country or international rights organisation has given this disturbing trend the importance it rightly deserves. And so, while no one grudges Pakistan shedding copious tears on the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, the fact that neither Islamabad or Rawalpindi is losing sleep over continuing enforced disappearances in Balochistan exposes its perverse duplicity.

Tailpiece: While Kakar may pride himself for having “defended the allegations against the state in the name of enforced disappearances,” he’s explicitly implicated Rawalpindi on this issue. Just three months ago, the ex-caretaker prime minister had during a TV interview admitted that “[the] state has no hand in these [enforced] disappearances” but accepted that “most times, the security forces pick up the people who’re involved in activities which are against the law.” [Emphasis added].

Similarly, in an undated video shot before he became Prime Minister, Imran Khan can be heard telling an audience that “Our Army [is] bombing people in Balochistan; how can we bomb our own people? Is there any army [there that] you are bombing? It is our own people with their children, and it is important to understand [that we are just bombing our people. Just think about the immorality of bombing villages with the women and children.”

Is any further proof of Pakistan Army’s active involvement in enforced disappearances required? 

A sudden and controversial police raid on the residence of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader and presidential candidate Mehmood Khan Achakzai in Quetta, Pak occupied Balochistan has ignited a fresh wave of discussions, prompting allegations of political interference by the Pakistan Army. The incident comes at a critical juncture, just days after Achakzai declared his candidacy for the upcoming Presidential elections to be held on March 9, garnering support from Imran Khan’s PTI and the Sunni Ittehad Council coalition.

Mehmood Khan Achakzai, known for his vocal criticism of the military’s role in politics, recently accused the Pakistan Army of meddling in political affairs and rigging elections to manipulate results against the will of the people. This outspoken stance has placed him in the spotlight and drawn attention from various quarters.

Raid without magistrate order

The controversial raid, which PkMAP claims was conducted without a proper magistrate order, took place at Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s residence. According to the party’s central secretary general, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, the operation resulted in the arrest of a personal guard in possession of a licensed weapon. The absence of a magistrate’s order has raised legal questions surrounding the raid, and PkMAP is denouncing the actions, labelling them as an infringement on the sanctity of Achakzai’s home.

Meanwhile, former Caretaker Information Minister of Balochistan, Jan Achakzai said that the raid was conducted to evict the illegal occupant in front of Achakzai’s house and the guards were arrested for obstructing the police from dispensing their duty. However, the timing of the action narrates a completely different story.

Accordingly, during a press conference, Ziaratwal emphasized the lack of legal justification for the raid, pointing out that a substantial police force was involved. The timing of the operation is significant, occurring shortly after Achakzai’s public condemnation of electoral rigging and his identification of those responsible in the National Assembly. Hence, the PkMAP views this incident as a deliberate attempt to intimidate its leadership and stifle its voice against perceived electoral injustices.