The mutilated body found four days ago in the Ferozabad area of Khuzdar district has been identified as that of Mohammad Ramzan, son of Haji Ahmad Dostainzai. Ramzan had reportedly been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces on 14 August 2014.
His remains mark the end of a years-long disappearance, further fuelling concerns over enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.
This case is yet another reminder of the ongoing human rights crisis in the region. Over the past two decades, thousands of Baloch individuals have allegedly been abducted and later killed.
It’s worth mentioning that, on April 19 this year, Pakistani forces claimed to have killed seven individuals in an alleged encounter in Ziarat Sanjawi. However, evidence suggests that all of the victims had previously been detained by security forces and had remained missing since their arrests. Among the recently identified bodies are Mazar Khan Marri and Khair Mohammad Marri, who were reportedly abducted from the Dukki district four months ago.
Such incidents are not isolated. Just last month, five individuals were also killed in what authorities described as a shootout in Dukki. Locals, however, strongly rejected these claims, stating there had been no clash in the area. They alleged that the security forces staged the encounter by dumping the bodies to make it appear as if a firefight had occurred.
Baloch nationalist parties and human rights activists have long been protesting against these violations, demanding justice and accountability. They have been accusing Pakistani law enforcement of carrying out such acts to counter the Baloch independence movement.