A young man has died shortly after being released from the custody of Pakistani security forces in Balochistan, with his family alleging he was subjected to severe torture during detention.
He has been identified as Shahzaib Ahmed, son of Shareef Ahmed, and a resident of Killi Qambarani in Quetta.
According to his family, Shahzaib was detained during the Eid al-Adha holidays near the Manguchar Dam area. They said he had gone on a picnic on the fourth day of Eid with two neighbours. When their motorcycle broke down on the way home, the group was taken into custody later that night by Pakistani forces.
Shahzaib was reportedly released in critical condition and died within hours. His family said his body showed signs of extreme torture, including burns, broken arms, torn fingernails, and facial swelling. They further alleged that melted plastic had been poured onto his skin, boiling water forced into his mouth, and that the only food he was given during detention was watermelon.
He was taken to hospital by a friend following his release, but he succumbed to his injuries. In his final moments, Shahzaib reportedly told his family: “Not even infidels treat humans this way in war.”
Of the two others detained with him, one remains missing. The other is said to be in critical condition.
There has been no official response from Pakistani authorities regarding the incident.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in cases of alleged enforced disappearances and custodial deaths in Balochistan. Human rights groups say many victims are picked up by state forces without due process and later found dead, often bearing signs of torture.
Earlier this month, five men who had previously been forcibly disappeared were found dead in two separate incidents. According to the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB), two of the victims — Ali Muhammad and Nizar — were killed inside a military cantonment in Mashkay, while three more bodies were recovered from Pyara Colony in Dera Bugti district.
They were identified as Ali Baig, Jamal Bugti, Yousaf alias Wado, and Zahid — all of whom had reportedly been forcibly disappeared in recent months.
In a separate case, the body of a man named Salam, a resident of Dasht Kumbail in Gwadar, was returned to his family on 15 June, two days after he was allegedly taken into custody.
According to HRCB, 719 people were abducted in Balochistan in the first five months of 2025. Of those, 553 remain missing, 35 were found dead, and only 129 have been released.
In a separate report, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) said at least 20 Baloch youths were extrajudicially killed in the first half of June alone. The group said the killings were carried out either by Pakistani security forces or by state-backed local armed groups known as “death squads.”
The BWF warned that extrajudicial killings had become “routine” in Balochistan and urged the United Nations and international human rights organisations to intervene.
HRCB said the ongoing detentions and killings “constitute blatant violations of international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and contravene Articles 9 and 10 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which guarantee the right to life, liberty, and due process.”
The group called for an independent international investigation into the alleged practice of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.
“We urge all international human rights bodies to take urgent notice,” the statement said.