The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Pakistan had claimed that it killed five members of a Baloch “pro-independence” group in a “gun battle” in Quetta on August 11. The Balochistan Post has investigated the incident and found out that the two of the five slain individuals were actually Baloch missing persons who had been allegedly abducted by the Pakistani security forces.
Jameel s/o Muhammad Hussain and Shoaib s/o Atta Muhammad were among the five individuals that the CTD had killed in an alleged firefight in Quetta. Family members and local sources told The Balochistan Post that the said individuals were detained by the Pakistani security forces. The former was picked up by the forces from Panjgoor in March 2021. Shoaib, also a native of Panjgoor, worked as a labourer in the United Arab Emirates. He was returning home for vacation when his journey was cut short at the Karachi Airport, where he was “abducted” by the Pakistani forces.
Both Jameel and Shoaib were killed in a fake encounter by the Pakistani forces in Quetta.
Khan Muhammad, a resident of Soorab, is also among the five slain individuals. He was reportedly detained by the Pakistani forces from Panjgoor two years ago.
It is worth mentioning that the CTD has gained a reputation for being the “encounter specialists” of Balochistan. They have been blamed for staging fake encounters where missing persons or dissidents are culled and shot at point-blank. All these so-called “confrontations” have a similar pattern – the slain individuals usually have a ruffled, unkempt beard, long hair and ragged clothes, the telltale signs of a missing person.