Seven individuals have been killed in an exchange of fire between Pakistani security forces and militants in Balochistan’s Ziarat district, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident took place in the Chautar area of Ziarat, according to a spokesperson for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), who said the deceased were affiliated with the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and were allegedly involved in multiple attacks.
The CTD spokesperson said the operation was carried out based on credible intelligence regarding the presence of militants involved in various attacks, adding that a cache of weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the scene.
The Ziarat operation marks the latest in a series of CTD operations across Balochistan in recent weeks. However, human rights groups have raised concerns over a recurring pattern of alleged fake encounters.
Earlier this month, on 19 April, the CTD claimed that five suspected militants were killed during a shootout in Dukki district. Officials alleged that the men had links to Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups and said weapons were recovered from the scene.
Families and rights groups later identified the deceased as individuals who had previously been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces.
Among those identified were Abdul Nabi Marri, Muhammad Deen Marri, and Ejaz.
Ejaz, a resident of Manguchar in Kalat district, was reportedly detained on 12 April 2025 along with Zaid, son of Abid Khan, a resident of Sariab, Quetta. Both were reported missing shortly after. On 16 April, Ejaz’s family confirmed his enforced disappearance to the media. His body was later identified among those killed in the Dukki encounter.
Abdul Nabi Marri was allegedly forcibly disappeared two months ago, along with his father and brother. Muhammad Deen Marri was reportedly forcibly disappeared from Balochistan’s Harnai district in December 2024. His case had been highlighted by human rights groups and social media users in January 2025.
On Monday, similar concerns of an alleged fake encounter were raised after the CTD said a militant was killed while another blew himself up during a gunfight with CTD operatives in Quetta’s Darakhshan area.
“The continued pattern of enforced disappearances followed by extrajudicial killings under the guise of counterterrorism operations is deeply troubling,” a representative of a local rights group said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “There needs to be accountability and transparency in these cases.”
Despite repeated calls for independent investigations, official responses have remained limited.
The latest incidents come amid growing international scrutiny of Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations in Balochistan.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, United Nations human rights experts expressed serious concerns over the “excessive and harmful impacts” of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism measures in Balochistan, urging full compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law.
They described enforced disappearances as a “serious human rights violation and an international crime,” urging Pakistan to establish independent search and investigation mechanisms, criminalize enforced disappearances, and hold perpetrators accountable.
The experts also raised concerns about “widespread torture, ill-treatment, extrajudicial killings and indiscriminate violence by security forces.”
They further called on Pakistan to address the underlying causes of conflict in Balochistan.
“Pakistan must also increase its efforts to address grievances in Balochistan that may fuel violence,” they said. “All States [must] address the root causes of violence to effectively combat terrorism, such as unresolved conflicts, weak rule of law, human rights violations, discrimination, political exclusion, socio-economic marginalisation, and poor governance.”