A Balochistan-based rights group, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) has released its monthly report for October. In the report, the HRCB has covered the human rights abuses that occurred in Balochistan.
According to the report, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan received forty-one cases of enforced disappearance and thirty cases of extrajudicial executions in Balochistan during the month of October 2022.
Victims of enforced disappearance include fourteen students. Later, five abductees were released, four were framed in bogus cases and one of the abductees was extrajudicially killed in a fake encounter by the Police Counter Terrorism Department whereas, the whereabouts of thirty people remained unknown at the time of writing this report.
Moreover, Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) continued to abduct, fabricate cases, and extrajudicially kill victims of enforced disappearances in staged encounters. In October, Police CTD killed at least fourteen victims of enforced disappearance in staged encounters and fabricated cases against four other victims.
In addition, twenty-one victims of enforced disappearance were also released in the month. They include Shahid Sharif Badini who was detained by FC on October 24, 2020, from Kishangi Nushki, Nasir Essa, a resident of Paroom who was abducted by FC 2 years ago and Sakhi Balach, a resident of Kulanch Dasht who had been missing since 2019. Four victims were abducted a year ago while the rest of the released persons were abducted by forces months before. All the released persons were subjected to inhuman torture during their incommunicado detention and were released without any explanation.
Enforced Disappearances:
Enforced disappearance continued unabated in the month of October 2022. Forty-one incidents of enforced disappearance were reported out of which, five people were later released, four were framed in bogus cases and one of the victims was extra-judicially killed in a fake encounter. The whereabouts of the rest of the victims remained unknown.
Three cases from previous months were also reported in the month of October. Saya Khan, a resident of the Gichk area of district Panjgur was summoned to the military camp on September 18, 2022, and detained him. The military is demanding ransom money for the release of the victims. The family reported his disappearance in October.
Gulshad son of Dilwash, a student and a resident of the Malir area of Karachi was whisked away by forces from Karachi on September 26, 2022. He had remained missing for a month and in October, Police CTD claimed to arrest him from the Mirpur Khas area of Sindh with explosives. The family rejected CTD’s claim and declared the charges as bogus and fabricated.
At least fourteen students forcibly disappeared in the month of October.
On October 8, forces raided a house in Daaki Bazar of district Kech and whisked away two students. They were identified as Sarfaraz Ayub and Yusuf Pathan. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
On October 13, Sattar Rahim Bakhsh and Hayat Aslam, both students were detained and shifted to an unknown location by Frontier Corps personnel from Turbat, district Kech. Days later, Police CTD claimed to arrest Hayat Aslam and projected him as a terrorist who was apprehended with explosives in his possession whereas, the whereabouts of Sattar Rahim Bakhsh are still unknown.
On Oct 14, three more students were detained by personnel of the frontier corps and shifted to an unknown location. They were identified as Qambar Umeed, Uzair Mola Bakhsh, Anas Barkat, and Asad Musa. Later, Qambar Umeed, Uzair Mola Bakhsh, and Anas Barkat were released while the whereabouts of Asad Musa are still unknown.
On Oct 18, three students namely Zuhair Uzair, Chakar Qayum, and Siraj Imam were detained by Frontier Corps personnel and shifted to an unknown location. Since then, their whereabouts are unknown.
On Oct 23, Police CTD raided a house in Kharan city and forcibly disappeared Jabar Yalanzai, Najibullah Mohd Hussain, and Shafqat Yalanzai. Several raids were also conducted for the arrest of their cousin, Ajab Yalanzai who later went to the police station and presented himself. All four of them were detained and held incommunicado for days and later Jabar Yalanzai, and Najibullah Mohd Hussain were released. Shafqat Yalanzai was brought in front of the media to confess the killing of Justice Noor Mohd Miskanzai. The family rejected CTD’s claim of Shafqat’s involvement in the murder of Justice Noor Miskanzai and declared the confession as a forced confession. However, the whereabouts of Ajab Yalanzai are still unknown. In a tragic incident, Ajab Yalanzai’s brother Lutfullah and his wife committed suicide after the continued harassment from police, leaving behind 4 children.
On Oct 25, the military shadow intelligence agency whisked away Saud Naz and Kamran Noor Bakhsh from the Winder area of district Lasbela, Kamran was later released whereas, the whereabouts of Saud Naz are still unknown. Both are residents of Buleda of district Kech.
On the same day in Kharan, Frontier Corps placed an order for rice delivery at Yusuf Badini’s shop. He went to the camp to deliver the order where he was detained. Later the day, forces raided their house and whisked away his brother Pervez Badini. The whereabouts of both brothers are unknown since then.
On October 30, Sarfaraz Niaz and Abdul Mannan Musa, both cousins and residents of Noghay Khuzdar were whisked away by Frontier Corps from Ferozabad Khuzdar when they were going back after a football match. On November 9, Police CTD claimed to arrest them near Quetta with explosives in their possession. The family has already filed an FIR of the disappearance and held a press conference, rejecting the Police’s false claim. The family of the victims said that both are being framed in a bogus case.
Extrajudicial killings:
In the month of October, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan received at least 30 cases of extrajudicial killings. Out of thirty cases, the identity of eight people cannot be ascertained. The Police Counter Terrorism Department continued to kill victims of enforced disappearances in staged encounters. In the month of October 2022, Police CTD killed fourteen more victims of enforced disappearance in staged encounters in three separate incidents. Moreover, three mutilated dead bodies were found. Four people including three women were killed for honor. Three people died in a bomb blast in Mastung, one flood affectee was shot dead by police, one person was killed by the Baloch militant group Balochistan Liberation Army while the rest of the people were killed in target killings.
On Oct 2, Police CTD claimed to kill four terrorists in a cross-firing in the Nutul area of district Naseerabad. According to our research and data, all four of the victims were already in the custody of the military. They were identified as Ghulam Domki, Jaisaf Nawab Khan, Saddam Domki, and Murad Shani Bakhsh. They were residents of Dera Murad Jamali and had been in the custody of the military for months and years.
On Oct 16, Police CTD in a statement announced the killing of five terrorists in a fire exchange, four police personnel were also injured during the skirmish in district Mastung. Later, the bodies were brought to Civil Hospital Quetta where all five were identified as victims of enforced disappearances who were in the custody of the military for months and years. They were identified as Mushtaq Abdul Rasheed, Ali Ahmed Taj Muhammad, Habib ur Rehman Abdul Samad, Obaidullah Satakzai, and Muhammad Dawood. Habib ur Rehman and Obaidullah Satakzai were abducted by the military 7 and 4 years ago respectively and had been in incommunicado detention since then.
On Oct 17, Police CTD once again claimed to kill four terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in the Zarin Jangal area of district Nushki. The CTD claimed that the killed terrorists were involved in target killings and bomb blasts. Later, all four bodies were brought to a hospital in Kharan where they were identified as Fareed Abdul Razzaq, Salal Badini, Waseem Tabish, and Shukurullah. All four deceased were victims of enforced disappearances, abducted by Frontier Corps from different areas, and had been in the custody of forces. Fareed Abdul Razzaq was a resident of Quetta, abducted by forces on September 28, 2022. Salal Badini was a resident of Nushki who had been abducted by forces from Quetta on Oct 6, 2022. Waseem Tabish was a student and a resident of Khuzdar who was abducted by forces from his home in Khuzdar in front of several eyewitnesses on June 9, 2022. His family had been organizing protest demonstrations for his safe recovery since he was forcibly disappeared. The last victim of the fake encounter was identified as Shukrullah, a resident of Nushki. He was forcibly disappeared by forces on October 7, 2022, and had remained in the custody of forces since then.
We once again call upon human rights organizations and the government to impartially investigate the Police CTD’s operations. Framing civilians in bogus cases and extrajudicially killing victims of enforced disappearance in fake encounters is not only a violation of the constitutional rights of civilians but also violates international obligations to the protection of human rights.
The Balochistan Post has received this report from the HRCB. The report has not been edited by the TBP staff.