A young Baloch man who had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance was shot dead on Monday night in Khuzdar district of Balochistan, in what rights groups describe as a targeted killing by a “state-backed death squad.”
The victim, identified as Muslim, son of Akhtar and a resident of Kodask, was reportedly called out of his home late at night by armed assailants and killed on the spot. According to local sources, the attackers were led by Samad Broth, a figure alleged to head a “death squad” operating with the support of Pakistani security forces.
Muslim was forcibly disappeared on 10 October 2024 and remained missing for nearly two months. He was released on 3 December 2024. His killing on 2 June 2025—six months after his release—has reignited concerns over the fate of formerly disappeared persons in Balochistan.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) condemned the killing and said it reflected a pattern of violence in which released detainees are later assassinated by death squads allegedly working with state institutions.
“Muslim’s extrajudicial killing is not an isolated incident,” the BYC said. “There is a systematic trend where forcibly disappeared individuals, once released, are subjected to surveillance, threats, and ultimately, targeted killings. These operations are designed to crush the political consciousness of Baloch society.”
The BYC added that such killings are part of a broader strategy to “eliminate survivors of state torture, conceal evidence, and terrorise society.” The group held the Pakistani state and its military responsible for Muslim’s death.
Human rights organisations and Baloch activists have repeatedly accused Pakistani intelligence agencies of running clandestine armed units—often referred to as “death squads”—tasked with silencing dissent. While Pakistani authorities deny these claims, dozens of cases have surfaced in recent years involving the targeted killing of individuals previously subjected to enforced disappearance.
Locals say the killing has spread fear across Khuzdar and surrounding areas. “When someone comes back from enforced disappearance, they live under constant fear,” a local elder told The Balochistan Post. “Now it seems even that fear is not enough. They are hunted down.”
The BYC called on international human rights groups to investigate Muslim’s killing and the broader issue of death squads in Balochistan, warning that silence enables further atrocities.