Baloch human rights group condemns escalating state violence in Awaran, urges international probe

Awaran [Pakistan], June 1 (ANI): The Baloch human rights organisation Paank has strongly condemned the rising wave of state-backed violence in Awaran district, Balochistan, following a string of extrajudicial killings allegedly carried out by Pakistani military forces and affiliated death squads.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Paank highlighted the recent targeted killing of Sageer Ahmed, a police employee and resident of Gwrjak Mashkai. Ahmed was reportedly shot dead by a state-backed death squad in Shareeki Awaran on May 30.

"This cold-blooded murder of a public servant adds to the growing list of victims of state repression in Awaran," the statement read.

The rights group documented several other recent cases as part of what it called "a systematic campaign of terror."

On May 26-27, Pakistani military forces conducted a raid in Malaar Machi, where two civilians, Naeem Baloch and his aunt Hoori, were killed. Another woman, Dadi Baloch, was critically injured during the operation and reportedly denied medical treatment.

On May 24, journalist Abdul Latif Baloch was assassinated at his home in what Paank described as a targeted killing aimed at silencing dissenting voices.

In another incident, on May 27, Ghaus Bakhsh was found tortured to death after being summoned to a military camp in Kolowa.

Paank also raised alarm over reports of a so-called "kill list" circulating in the area, allegedly containing the names of over 50 individuals marked for assassination by state-backed squads.

"These incidents reveal a disturbing pattern of violence and impunity," Paank said, calling on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to urgently launch an independent investigation into the killings and hold Pakistan accountable under international law.

The group reaffirmed its solidarity with the victims' families and demanded an immediate halt to all state atrocities in Balochistan. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)