An 18-year-old student was shot dead at his shop in Buleda, Kech district, in what the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said was a targeted attack carried out by a “state-sponsored death squad”.
“Chakar Baloch, son of Barkat, an 18-year-old student, was extrajudicially killed by a state-sponsored death squad. He was targeted at his own shop in Mehnaz, where armed men affiliated with a state-backed death squad opened fire on him, killing him on the spot,” the group said in a statement.
The BYC said the incident reflected what it described as a deliberate tactic aimed at silencing the Baloch population and spreading fear.
“This is the tactic used by the state to silence the Baloch, spread fear, and ensure that everyone is being targeted through collective punishment,” the statement said.
The group further characterised the killing as a “grave violation” of international human rights law, referring to Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life.
According to the BYC, the incident forms part of what it described as a continued pattern of targeted killings and violence in Balochistan.
“This continued pattern of violence in Balochistan is very alarming and getting worse with each passing day,” the statement said, adding that “in this wave of violence, no one is safe.”
The group also called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to press for “independent and transparent investigations” into such incidents.