The Balochistan government has ordered approximately 5,000 families in Kalat’s Shoor Paarod area to leave their homes by October 30 for a planned military operation, warning of administrative action against those who fail to comply.
Additional Chief Secretary for Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat said residents must vacate the area within the deadline and that action would be taken against families that did not relocate.
The plan affects around 30,000 people living in the mountainous area, who are to be moved to designated camps, according to reports. Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has approved the relocation plan, the reports said.
Officials claimed Shoor Paarod was government land and said the planned operation was prompted by the presence of armed fighters in the area.
The order comes after residents of four settlements in Nushki were reportedly instructed last month to leave their homes for approximately two months.
Read More | Pakistan Army Orders Evacuation of Noshki Areas Ahead of Possible Military Operation
Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Sammi Deen Baloch said in a recent statement on forced displacement that families were being deprived of their ancestral homes, land and livelihoods across Balochistan.
She said the government’s responsibility went beyond ordering residents to vacate their areas. Authorities also had to ensure alternative accommodation, livelihoods, basic services and conditions for a voluntary, safe and dignified return.
“Forcibly displacing people from their land can neither establish lasting peace nor provide genuine security,” she said.
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