The bodies of five men were recovered from different areas of Balochistan on Thursday, including the tortured body of a man who had earlier been “forcibly disappeared”, according to local sources.
The discoveries were reported in Panjgur, Khaliqabad and Zehri areas, adding to growing public concern over the rising number of killings and disappearances across Balochistan.
In Panjgur district, the body of a man found in the Pullabad area of Parom tehsil was identified as Abdul Wahab, son of Muhammad Omar, a resident of Zamuran in Kech district.
According to local sources, Abdul Wahab was abducted on 27 October by members of an alleged state-backed “death squad”. Sources said he had been shot during the abduction, leaving one of his legs paralysed. After more than a month of disappearance, his body was discovered on Thursday bearing signs of torture.
In a separate incident, three bodies were recovered from the Badrang area of Khaliqabad. Police said the bodies were moved to a nearby hospital, where identification cards found in their pockets revealed their names as Khuda Bakhsh, a resident of Johan; Zahoor Ahmed, a resident of Khaliqabad; and Barkat Khan, a resident of Kashan. Local sources said all three men belonged to the Lehri tribe and were cousins. Police said an investigation is under way.
Meanwhile in Khuzdar district, the body of a young man was found near the roadside in the football ground area of Zehri tehsil. Initial reports indicated that the man had been shot and killed. He was identified as Shahzaib, son of Muhammad Aslam, a resident of Sadiqabad in Zehri.
Human rights activists and local advocacy groups say the recovery of bodies from remote or roadside locations has become increasingly common across Balochistan in recent months.
They note that several of the victims were individuals who had earlier been “forcibly disappeared” by Pakistani armed forces or alleged state-backed armed groups, raising concerns over extrajudicial killings and custodial violence across Balochistan.
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