Custodial deaths of enforced disappeared persons reported in Balochistan: Report

Balochistan [Pakistan], June 12 (ANI): Custodial deaths of allegedly enforced disappeared persons have been recorded in Pakistan's Balochistan, with two different cases in Dera Bugti and Mashkay adding to the list of extrajudicial executions allegedly carried out by Pakistani security personnel, according to a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP).

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According to report by TBP, three bodies were discovered in Piyara Colony, Sui Tehsil, Dera Bugti district on Tuesday night. As per the report, the deceased, who had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance, was allegedly killed in a staged encounter and their remains discarded in a public area.

The victims have been identified as: Ali Baig, reportedly forcibly disappeared from Dera Bugti on March 19 this year. Yousaf aka Waddo, reportedly abducted on 18 October, 2024 while Zahid reportedly disappeared on 18 October 2024, as cited by TBP report.

In a separate incident in Mashkay Tehsil of Awaran district, two more previously disappeared individuals were found dead. The deceased were: Nazar Ahmed, reportedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces on 23 December 2024. Ali Muhammad, reported abducted from Kandri Bazaar, Mashkay, on 1 February 2025, TBP report cited.

Security personnel brought both bodies, which were riddled with bullet wounds, to Mashkay Hospital on Monday, according to The Balochistan Post reported. These incidents are part of a deepening crisis in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have become a widespread and systematic practice, drawing condemnation from human rights organisations.

While the state routinely denies these allegations, 2025 has seen a marked increase in such killings, often carried out under the guise of "encounters" or anti-terror operations, despite the victims being in prior custody. The dumping of dead in abandoned regions and the usage of unmarked graves are also widely reported, with bereaved relatives and campaigners appealing for international attention to what they describe as "crimes against humanity." (ANI)

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