Human Rights Council of Balochistan highlights 'Shocking escalation' of state violence in region

Balochistan [Pakistan], August 17 (ANI): The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) has released its biannual review on the human rights situation in the region, covering January to June 2025.

According to the report, Balochistan witnessed a sharp escalation of state violence in the first half of the year. HRCB documented 814 cases of enforced disappearances, nearly equalling the total number recorded in all of 2024. The victims included students, activists, labourers, and ordinary civilians, who the report says were systematically targeted by security forces and state agencies.

The review further stated that at least 131 people were killed without trial through custodial torture, staged encounters, and indiscriminate military operations. According to it, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a peaceful grassroots movement, was reportedly subjected to severe repression, with its leaders arrested, homes raided, protests violently dispersed, and smear campaigns launched to silence dissent.

In June 2025, the provincial assembly passed a controversial amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act, granting sweeping powers to security agencies, including arrests without warrants, 90-day detention without trial, and the establishment of "de-radicalisation centres" that the report described as functioning like internment camps.

The violence has also claimed the lives of minors. The report highlighted the case of 13-year-old protester Nehmat Baloch, who was shot dead during a police assault on a peaceful sit-in. Despite repeated calls from national and international human rights organisations, the state is accused of continuing to act with total impunity.

The HRCB described this situation as part of a longstanding cycle of repression. Human rights violations in Balochistan intensified following Pakistan's 1999 military coup, with thousands reported missing and hundreds allegedly killed under the military's "kill and dump" policy.

The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (Hakkpaan) is a non-partisan human rights group based in Balochistan and Sweden. Due to restrictions on media and monitoring groups inside the province, HRCB relies on a network of local volunteers and supporters to collect firsthand information. The organisation compiles these reports and presents them to international human rights mechanisms, seeking accountability and global attention to the crisis. (ANI)

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