Pakistani forces accused of custodial killings after two brothers found dead in Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], July 14 (ANI): Two brothers who had reportedly gone missing after allegedly being detained by Pakistani security personnel were later found dead with gunshot injuries in Balochistan's Kech district, according to residents and a human rights organisation.

The victims were identified as Imam and Muhammad Umar, sons of Muhammad Ilyas, from Shaban Bazaar in Mand, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

According to The Balochistan Post, the brothers earned a living as labourers in the Kuntani area of Jiwani. They were returning home to Mand on a motorcycle when they reportedly stopped near Balicha Cross after running out of fuel.

Local witnesses claimed that Pakistani security forces detained both of them at the spot. The family later received their bodies through local police, with both reportedly bearing gunshot wounds.

The funeral prayers were held before the brothers were buried in their ancestral graveyard in Soro, Mand. Family members and residents expressed shock over the deaths, while local sources questioned the circumstances under which the two men were killed.

Before the victims were formally identified, several social media accounts viewed as supportive of the Pakistani military circulated claims that two suspected militants had been killed during an operation in the area.

However, residents later identified the deceased as the two brothers and rejected the militant narrative, maintaining that they were civilians returning from work.

Pakistan's military and government authorities have not issued any official statement addressing the allegations surrounding the brothers' detention or subsequent deaths, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.

Reacting to the incident, Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), condemned what it described as the extrajudicial killing of the two men.

The organisation called for an immediate, transparent and independent investigation to establish the facts and ensure accountability if the allegations are verified, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)

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