In a disturbing and all-too-familiar scenario, journalist Hayat Khan Khetran from Pak-occupied-Balochistan’s Barkhan district has been forcibly disappeared, reportedly on the orders of a Pakistan Army Colonel. This latest incident is yet another grim chapter in the ongoing exploitation and oppression faced by the people of POB at the hands of the Pak military.
The family of Hayat Khan has confirmed the Frontier Corps (FC) of being responsible for his abduction, specifically naming Colonel Babar Khalil of FC Kohlu’s 86 Wing. Their plea for his safe return has so far fallen on deaf ears, as the occupied-government remains silent, complicit in these acts of repression.
The Pakistan Army’s grip on POB has long been characterized by a brutal campaign to suppress any form of dissent. The province, rich in natural resources, has been systematically plundered by the occupied-state, with little to no benefit trickling down to the local population. Instead, the people are met with repression, as the military tightens its control, often resorting to enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, and other human rights abuses to maintain its dominance.
Activists, journalists, and anyone who dares to raise their voice against Pak Army’s exploitation find themselves targeted. The enforced disappearance of Hayat Khan Khetran is not an isolated incident; it is part of a wider strategy to marginalize and intimidate those who speak out against the injustices perpetrated by the Paki establishment. Journalists and activists in POB are on the front lines, constantly at risk of being abducted or killed simply for doing their job—reporting the truth and advocating for the rights of their people.
The people of POB deserve more than a life lived in fear. They deserve the right to speak, to dissent, and to demand a fair share of the wealth that their land provides. It is high time that the Pak military’s stranglehold on the province is challenged, and the voices of the oppressed are amplified rather than silenced.