Balochistan, witnessed yet another chapter of atrocities as the Pak Army continues its reign of terror against the Baloch community. In the latest incidents, four civilians from the Kech district were forcibly disappeared after being detained during a midnight raid.
The raid in Shoolig, Dasht, carried out around 1 a.m., saw Pak forces breaking down doors, assaulting residents, and abducting four individuals. The victims have been identified as Haji Hasil, Abdul Salam (son of Haji Hasil), Yasir (son of Abdullah), and Saleem (son of Qadir Bakhsh). Their families remain in anguish as their loved ones were taken to an undisclosed location, with no information provided about their fate.
In another incident in the same district, two more civilians, Waris (son of Ibrahim) and Gulab (son of Boheer), were forcibly taken by the military from Dasht Bahot Chat, leaving their families in despair.
The brutal militarisation of POB is no secret. Under the guise of “national security,” the Pakistan Army has long waged an undeclared war against the Baloch people, exploiting the region’s vast resources while systematically silencing dissent. The abduction and torture of civilians, including students, is a routine tactic to suppress the community.
Terrorising Students
Zahid Mustafa, a data science student at Gwadar University, became the latest victim of the Army’s barbarity. On December 6, Pak forces stormed his home in Gwadar, scaling walls to abduct him in a convoy of five vehicles. Zahid was blindfolded and subjected to three days of inhumane torture. His blindfold was only removed upon his release, leaving him traumatised and unfit to attend his university exams.
Such incidents illustrate the Pakistan Army’s unrelenting pursuit of silencing the educated youth of POB, fearing their voices may expose the systemic oppression and resource plundering by the region.
While three of four recently abducted civilians in Panjgur were released, the fate of many remains unknown. The enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture have become tools of governance in POB, enabling the Army to sustain its chokehold on the region.
From mining minerals to extracting gas, the resources of POB are drained to feed the Punjabi Pak elite while Baloch people live in perpetual poverty, fear, and insecurity. Civilians, including women and children, bear the brunt of this brutal war. Villages are raided, homes destroyed, and anyone daring to demand basic rights is silenced through abductions or killings.
It is high time the international community recognises the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army in POB. This unchecked militarisation and exploitation must be condemned unequivocally.