A new report by the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) has documented a sharp rise in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan during April 2025.
According to the report released by PAANK, at least 151 people were forcibly disappeared across the region last month, while 23 individuals were killed in what the group described as extrajudicial killings.
PAANK said its data was compiled from verified incidents across all 18 districts of Balochistan, describing the situation as “a systematic state policy” targeting the Baloch population.
Kech district was identified as the most affected area, with 53 cases of enforced disappearance, followed by Gwadar (19 cases), Quetta (18), Dera Bugti (13), Panjgur (8), Awaran (7), and further cases reported from Barkhan, Sibi, Mastung, Lasbela, Khuzdar, Nushki, Chagai, and Surab.
While PAANK noted that 50 individuals were released from military custody in April, it said 23 others were killed either while in detention or after being abducted. The group cited the recovery of Abdul Malik Baloch’s body in Khuzdar six months after his disappearance, as well as the killings of Shah Nawaz, Zahoor Ahmad, and Habib Baloch in Awaran.
The report also highlighted the case of Sahil Baloch, a child abducted and murdered in Pasni, and the targeted killings of Bahadur Shafi and three of his relatives in Panjgur by what PAANK described as a “state-sponsored death squad.” In addition, it documented the killing of student and journalist Nabeel Baloch in Kech’s Tump area, and multiple cases of alleged “staged encounters” in Dukki.
PAANK accused the Pakistani military of operating secret detention centres where detainees are held incommunicado, without access to lawyers or family. It alleged that “state-sponsored death squads” continue to operate “with impunity and beyond the rule of law.”
The report called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to conduct independent investigations into the incidents and hold Pakistan accountable under international law. It urged the international community to intervene, warning that the worsening human rights situation in Balochistan threatens not only the lives and rights of its people but also the broader peace and stability of the region.