A jirga was held in Gandawah, Jhal Magsi district of Balochistan on Tuesday to discuss the establishment of a local “peace force”, according to sources.
The gathering was chaired by Sindh Assembly member Mir Nadir Khan Magsi and attended by Jaffar Khan Magsi and Balochistan Assembly member Mir Zareen Khan Magsi. Senior civil and security officials were also present, including Deputy Commissioner Jhal Magsi Syed Rehmatullah Shah, Lieutenant Colonel Asim Khan of the Pakistan Army, Superintendent of Police Rehmatullah Durrani and other government representatives.
According to local sources, participants agreed to establish a local force that would be equipped with weapons and deployed for the protection of government installations and other official assets in the area.
Local sources and some political activists have described the proposed force as a “death squad”, a term frequently used in Balochistan by critics to refer to militias alleged to operate with state backing. Authorities have not publicly characterised the force in those terms.
No official statement detailing the structure, mandate, size or operational framework of the proposed force had been issued at the time of reporting.
The formation of locally organised armed groups and “peace committees” has been reported in various parts of Balochistan over the years, particularly in districts affected by the long-running conflict between Pakistani armed forces and Baloch nationalist armed groups.
Supporters of such initiatives argue that they are intended to assist in maintaining security and protecting public infrastructure. However, human rights organisations, political groups and families of missing persons have repeatedly raised concerns regarding some armed groups operating in Balochistan.
Several Baloch political organisations and rights groups have alleged that state-backed armed groups (“death squads”) have been involved in intimidation, targeted killings and enforced disappearances. Pakistani authorities have rejected or denied many such allegations and maintain that security measures in the region are aimed at countering militancy.
The reported establishment of the new force in Jhal Magsi comes amid ongoing operations and heightened tensions in several districts of Balochistan, where armed attacks, military operations and allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings continue to be reported.