Balochistan [Pakistan], April 1 (ANI) — A report by the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) warns of a sharp rise in human rights abuses across the province, documenting mass enforced disappearances and killings during February 2026. The Balochistan Post cited the report saying 234 people were forcibly disappeared and 87 were killed that month.
The HRCB report states victims included one woman and nine teenagers, with most of those affected being men. Only a small number of the disappeared have reappeared; the majority remain unaccounted for. The council described such violations as routine and increasingly commonplace in daily life across Balochistan.
The surge in abuses followed coordinated attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army in late January, after which security forces launched wide-ranging operations. According to the report, these operations involved curfews, communication blackouts and heavy use of force, leading to civilian casualties. HRCB accuses security agencies of carrying out broad raids, arbitrary detentions, property destruction and mistreatment of civilians, including women and children.
The report alleges that many detainees were later killed in staged encounters, a pattern HRCB characterizes as deliberate and systematic. Students and working-class people were disproportionately targeted. Quetta recorded the highest number of cases, followed by Nushki, Kech and Gwadar. Authorities reportedly labelled many detainees as “suspects” without clarifying their legal status.
Documented killings include incidents of indiscriminate firing, custodial deaths and alleged fake encounters, with several victims showing signs of torture. The report also notes civilian deaths during military actions, including women and children killed in residential areas. HRCB questioned official claims linking arrests to insurgent groups, suggesting some individuals presented as suspects had been missing prior to being shown as arrested.
Pakistani authorities had not issued an official response to the allegations at the time of reporting, according to The Balochistan Post. (ANI)
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