Pakistani forces have been accused of killing a missing person in an alleged staged explosion in the Turbat area of Balochistan.
According to reports, an explosion occurred on the night of January 12, 2025, on the M-8 CPEC route near Jusk, Turbat. Local police claimed that a man, identified as Ittefaq Manzoor, was killed while allegedly planting a bomb.
However, the family of Ittefaq rejected the police’s allegations, asserting that he had been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces on December 10, 2024. They accused the authorities of staging the explosion to justify his extrajudicial killing. The family had previously spoken out at a press conference at the Turbat Press Club, highlighting his disappearance along with two of his brothers. While his brothers were later released, Ittefaq remained in custody until his alleged killing.
The Baloch National Movement’s (BNM) human rights department, PAANK, expressed deep concern over the extrajudicial killing. In a statement, PAANK described the incident as part of a broader pattern of enforced disappearances and killings in Balochistan.
“This is not an isolated case but a disturbing example of the systematic violence faced by the Baloch people,” the statement read. PAANK highlighted the family’s prior protests, including a sit-in at Shaheed Fida Ahmed Main Chowk, and reiterated its call for an independent investigation into the killing.
PAANK urged Pakistan to uphold its international human rights obligations and to take steps to end enforced disappearances, bring perpetrators to justice, and ensure the safety of activists and families seeking accountability.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) also condemned the incident, calling it a “calculated and heinous act” that reflects the state’s ongoing oppression in Balochistan. BYC rejected the official narrative, stating that the staged explosion was a cover-up for a custodial killing.
“This is yet another grim example of state-sponsored genocide against the Baloch people,” the statement declared. BYC emphasized the need for international human rights organizations to intervene and hold Pakistan accountable for its actions in Balochistan.