Another Baloch youth has reportedly been killed by state-backed militias, locally known as ‘death squads’, in Tump, a tehsil of Balochistan’s Kech district, on Thursday.
According to reports, the victim, identified as Karim Dad s/o Manzoor and a resident of the Gomazi area of Tump, was shot dead by armed men in the Kohad area. Local sources informed The Balochistan Post that Karim was traveling in a vehicle when he was targeted and killed.
Eyewitnesses and local sources claim that the assailants belong to a government-backed armed militia group locally known as a ‘death squad.’ Notably, Karim’s close relative, Miraj Baloch, was also shot dead just three days earlier in the same tehsil of Kech, further intensifying concerns over the region’s escalating violence.
The killing has sparked widespread outcry and condemnation, with human rights activists and political groups decrying the continued targeting of Baloch youths. The Baloch National Movement (BNM) and its human rights wing, PAANK, took to social media platform X to condemn the incident. In their statement, they emphasized that the persistent targeting of individuals by state-backed death squads with impunity is a gross violation of fundamental human rights and must be halted immediately.
The PAANK further urged the international world to take immediate action to ensure the protection of civilians and uphold the rule of law in the region. The incident has once again highlighted the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan, with growing concerns over enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.