A civilian from Mashkay, district Awaran, in Balochistan’s Awaran district, identified as Karim Jan s/o Azeem, has reportedly died in the custody of Pakistani security forces after allegedly being subjected to severe torture. His body was handed over to his family on Saturday, several months after he was last seen.
According to local sources and family members, Karim Jan was allegedly summoned to a military camp on February 22, 2025, by Pakistani forces stationed in Mashkay. Following his detention, he was not seen again. On July 12, nearly five months later, his body was returned to his family. The dead body reportedly bore clear signs of torture.
Family sources claimed that this was not the first time Karim Jan had been detained. He had previously been held in 2023, during which time he was allegedly tortured for eight months before being released. This time, however, he never returned alive. The family asserts that his death is the result of “custodial torture,” and they have called it a case of “extrajudicial killing.”
Local residents and rights activists say the killing fits a disturbing pattern of alleged state violence in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances and custodial deaths have long drawn condemnation from human rights organizations.
Similar incidents have been reported in recent weeks. In one case, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) alleged that Azmat Rind, a resident of Naseerabad, was tortured to death while in custody after being forcibly disappeared on June 5. His body was reportedly buried by authorities in a remote location without informing the family. In another case, Nawab Noor Bakhsh from Kolwah died in detention after being transferred to a military camp, his body later recovered bearing signs of torture.
These incidents have sparked renewed calls for independent investigations into alleged human rights abuses by security forces in Balochistan. Rights groups argue that these cases form part of a broader trend of violence and repression targeting the Baloch population, and have demanded immediate and impartial inquiries into all alleged cases of enforced disappearance and custodial deaths.