Balochistan: 2022 was full of misery, fear for people
The year 2022 remained of unrelenting misery and fear for the people of Balochistan as the government and military continued to abuse human rights in a multitude of ways. A drastic rise in enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing was recorded throughout the year. The worsening plight of families of enforced disappearances continued as the dead bodies of their loved ones continued to appear in desolated areas despite continuous protests and demonstrations and assurances from the government. The cruel onslaught against religious minorities continued while the state remained a silent spectator without taking action to curb terrorism. The vicious crackdowns against dissenting voices in Gwadar, Kech, Karachi, Islamabad, and Quetta and framing them in fake cases turned Balochistan into a much darker and a more unstable place.
Police brutality continued throughout the year 2022. Illegal house raids, framing victims of enforced disappearance in fake cases, killing of victims of enforced disappearance in fake encounters, intimidation, harassment, and use of excessive force on peaceful protests.
Anti-Terrorism court acquitted him of all the fabricated charges. Other activists were also detained for questioning by UAE officials and later released
The Army and frontier corps continued to forcibly disappear and extrajudicially kill civilians during operations with absolute impunity. In some cases, forces summoned people to camp and later tortured them to death. Under the policy of Collective Punishment arrests of women, children, and elderly people was also recorded in 2022.
The Baloch students continued to face intimidation, harassment, racial profiling, and enforced disappearances in other provinces as well as Balochistan, particularly in educational institutions. The government not only failed to ensure their protection but also appealed against the Islamabad High Court’s decision to probe into the racial profiling of Baloch students.
The families of victims of enforced disappearances continued their protest demonstrations for the safe release of their loved ones in different cities throughout the year despite police’s use of excessive force and booking them on fabricated charges. Despite assurances from the Interior minister and law minister, bullet-riddled dead bodies of victims of enforced disappearance continued to appear in the desolated areas.
One of the most troubling developments in 2022 was the killings of women to uphold the honor of the family and tribe. Honor killings, the least reported and yet shameful issue, remained on the rise during the year. In some areas, it is being practiced under the supervision of police and tribal leaders.
The recovery of dozens of decomposed dead bodies found on the rooftop of Nishtar Hospital in Multan sent shockwaves among the families of victims of enforced disappearances. The families demanded the government to take measures to identify the dead bodies through DNA testing, however the government disregarded the families’ request to investigate the matter. The identities of the deceased remained a mystery by the end of the year.
The year 2022 left Balochistan in a deeply unstable world full of trepidation and uncertainty about the future. The very idea of human dignity and equality came under vigorous and relentless assault from the powerful narrative of blame, fear, and scapegoating, propagated by those who sought to take or cling on to power at any cost.
Police Violence: In recent years, alongside Frontier Corps and the army, the police force has become one of the main perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes against humanity particularly its counter-terrorism department (CTD). Throughout the year 2022, Police remained in the limelight for their brutality and use of excessive force on peaceful protestors. Moreover, the police counter-terrorism department had also been involved in framing victims of enforced disappearances in fake cases and fake encounters. Despite protests from families of victims of enforced disappearances, police brutality continued with absolute impunity.
In the year 2022, we have documented at least forty-nine incidents of enforced disappearances where police CTD was found involved. Furthermore, Police CTD has killed twenty-one people in fake encounters, eleven people were killed during illegal raids, and one person was killed in custody.
Crackdown on Haq Du Tehreek:
Haq Do Tehreek was first formed in November 2021 after local fishermen, traders, and people who rely on border trade came together against illegal trawling in the sea, restrictions on fishermen to access to the sea, closure of the Pakistan-Iran border and installations of military check posts. The month-long strike ended after negotiations between the organizers and the government of Balochistan. But, a year later when the government failed to fulfill its promises, Haq Do Tehreek once again went on strike in October 2022. However, on December, 26, the police force arrested Hussain Wadhela, one of the movement’s founding members with his companions resulting in an eruption of clashes between the protestors and police. The government-imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for one month and blocked communication networks for more than a week to clamp down on the protest. Moreover, the forces detained more than a hundred active members of Haq Du Tehreek from Gwadar and Kech districts. The locals alleged that during the raids, forces had beaten up women and children, houses were looted and the right to privacy and dignity were violated. The victims published videos on social media showing their wounds to back their allegations. Other disturbing videos were also found on social media where forces can be seen beating up shopkeepers and protestors before dragging them to their vehicles.
The charges against some of the detainees were later dropped and several others were released on bail, however, section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is still in place.
Use of Force on Women and Children:
On June 9, 2022, Doda Ilahi and Ghamshad, students of Karachi, were forcibly disappeared from their homes during a night raid. On June 10, their families began a protest for their safe release outside of the Karachi Press Club, and on June 12, the protestors marched towards Sindh Assembly followed by a sit-in protest in front of the assembly gate. However, the police used excessive and unlawful force to disperse the protestors. The protestors were beaten and humiliated before being detained and taken to the police station. After hours of illegal detention, all the detainees were released without charges.
Similarly, on May 24, 2022, several protestors, men and women, were arbitrarily detained by Sindh police in Karachi during a peaceful protest outside Karachi Press Club. All the detainees were later released without any charges against them. However, the violence that protestors endured is a violation of their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Racial Profiling and Crackdown on Baloch Students:
For decades, Baloch students have always been the major targets of the state, but during the past few years, a sudden increase has been witnessed in involuntary disappearances of Baloch students, not only in Balochistan but all across Pakistan. During the year 2022, at least eighty-four students were subjected to enforced disappearances. Among them, sixty-six students were abducted from Balochistan while eighteen students were involuntarily detained from the federal Capital and other provinces of Pakistan. Moreover, Baloch students were harassed, discriminated and subjected to racial profiling in educational institutions in Punjab followed by enforced disappearances.
Baloch students filed a petition in Islamabad High Court against harassment, racial profiling, and enforced disappearances. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah ordered the formation of a commission to probe the harassment and abduction of Baloch students. However, the government appealed against the IHC decision in the Supreme Court. The case is still pending for hearing.
The incompetence of the government to address the issue compelled students to take to the streets and protest to highlight their plights in educational institutions. However, most of the peaceful protests were again met with police violence and brutality.
On March 1, the students carried out a peace walk from Islamabad National Press Club to D-Chowk, carrying banners and placards against the enforced disappearance of their fellow
On May 11, secret service agents whisked away Feroz Noor Bakhsh from Arid University Rawalpindi and shifted him to an unknown location. In protest, students carried out a peace walk on campus, carrying placards against racial profiling and the enforced disappearance of Baloch students followed by a sit-in protest in front of the university administration. Instead of addressing students’ pleas, the administration called the police and university security to clamp down on the protest. The security guards intimidated and threatened the students to end their sit-in protest and ripped off posters of Feroz that were put on the walls for awareness.
In September 2022, after the Pakistan Cricket team lost the Asia Cup final match against Sri Lanka, Baloch students like millions of other fans celebrated the victory of the Sri Lankan team. However, the police patrolling vehicle apprehended Baloch students and put them at Brewery Road Police Station. In protests, several students protested in front of the police station and eventually got their fellow students released.
Police Bogus Cases:
The Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was first introduced in 2010 after revamping the Crime Investigation Department, another police department. But the CTD soon gained a reputation as an encounter specialist squad due to the sheer number of fake encounters it carried out in the province. The department is also involved in violent raids and framing victims of enforced disappearance by fabricating charges in bogus cases.
On 01 February, Mohammad Ghous, a resident of Harnai, district Harnai, was detained by the CTD of police when he was on his way to Macch, district Kachhi. The CTD’s spokesperson later claimed that it was an intelligence-based operation and Mohammad Ghous alias Ghousia was arrested with explosives. The CTD also claimed that he is a militant affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army.
His whereabouts remain unknown till the filing of this report.
On February 8, Abdul Hafeez, a final year student of M. Phil in Physics at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad was teaching his students in the academy in his hometown of Khuzdar when armed masked men picked him up from the classroom in front of students. A complaint was lodged in the City Police Station Khuzdar regarding his involuntary disappearance about which the police assured the family that they have initiated an investigation.
Abdul Hafeez by Police CTD, Naseerabad claiming that he was arrested from Goth Mohammad Mittal Magsi area of Jafarabad with explosives in his possession. After months of court hearings, he was finally released however, his studies were affected by months-long detention and torture.
On 27 June, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested a man named Abdul Basit son of Abdul Ghani with arms and explosives from the Sui area of Dera Bugti. In fact, he was abducted by the FC and secret agencies during a raid on a house in the Jewar Colony area of Quetta on 17 February.
On 18 July, the Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed in a press release to have arrested and confiscated arms and explosives from Ghous Bakhsh son of Ali Khan Langani Marri in Hazar Ganji, Quetta. It is further claimed that during an intelligence-based operation, the CTD arrested a suspected member of the Baloch Liberation Army. Contrary to the claims of the CTD, Ghous Bakhsh was forcibly disappeared by security forces from the Ghosth area of Shahrag on 09 August 2021. Ghous Bakhsh’s whereabouts remained unknown for 11 months.
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.
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 is still 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 October 30, Sarfaraz Niaz and Abdul Mannan Musa, both cousins and residents of Noghay Khuzdar were whisked away by Frontier Corps from Firozabad 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.
Police Fake Encounters:
Fake encounter is another tactic widely used by the military and Police CTD to silence dissenting voices. Dozens of political workers, teachers, and student activists are abducted from their houses and killed in staged encounters in front of the people, at times in broad daylight. These killings have traumatized the entire families of the missing persons, who remain missing for years and even decades.
On 08 May, the body of Imam Bakhsh son of Kalu Khan Abdu, a resident of Sibi was found dumped in Sindh. Imam Bakhsh was arrested and disappeared by CTD from the Sukkur area of Sindh on 28 April 2022 and had remained missing since then.
In the month of October 2022, Police CTD killed fourteen more victims of enforced disappearance in staged encounters in three separate incidents.
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 crossfire, 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.
Enforced Disappearance:
Enforced disappearance is a serious violation of international human rights law and a crime under international law, that commonly results in other human rights violations. However, Pakistan’s security forces and intelligence services have routinely used enforced disappearance to target human rights defenders, political activists, students, and journalists, with the fate of thousands of victims still unknown.
Moreover, the Bill to criminalize enforced disappearance was finally passed by the National Assembly in October 2022 after the change in clause 514 which carried a punishment of five years for the complainant if they fail to provide evidence, was removed. However, to become part of the Pakistan Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, it is required to be passed by Senate.
During the year 2022, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan received enforced disappearance cases of at least 584 people including 23 women from Balochistan and across Pakistan. Among the perpetrators, Frontier Corps forcibly disappeared 436 people, in the disappearance of eight people, frontier corps personnel were accompanied by local mercenaries, police, and its counter-terrorism department forcibly disappeared fifty-one people, military’s shadow organizations abducted fifty- seven people, and state-sponsored mercenaries locally known as death squads abducted six people.
Most of the abductees are abducted from Kech district, 216 people followed by Awaran, seventy- nine, Panjgur forty-seven, and Khuzdar thirty-nine districts. Sixteen people were abducted from Karachi, one from interior Sindh, three from Punjab, and one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The largest number of abductees in terms of the profession are students i.e., eighty-four.
Summoned to military camps:
Since the regular army replaced Frontier Corps in the rural areas of Balochistan, Army imposed its own laws to control the area and people’s lives. According to these laws, all male members of the area from age 12, have to appear once or twice a week in the military camp. In the case of marriages and funerals, the army’s permission is needed. Even to visit a nearby town to buy household items, one needs the army’s permission. The households are also under constant surveillance.
During these summonses, the locals are subjected to hours-long interrogations, ill-treatment, and in many cases illegal detention and torture to death. In the year 2022, we have received four such cases where the person was summoned to the military camp and later detained illegally.
In one such case on April 12, Dad Baksh son of Lal Bakhsh, a resident of the Shapakul area of Awaran was summoned to Tanzila FC camp where he was detained and disappeared. His whereabouts are still unknown.
On September 18, Saya Khan, a resident of the Gichk area of district Panjgur was summoned to the military camp and detained him. The military demanded ransom money for the release of the victims which the family was unable to pay. Hence his whereabouts are unknown since then.
On 31 December, In the Randak area of Mashkay, the leader of the local death squad, Khudaidad son of Abdul Karim, summoned Ali Sher son of Karam Khan resident of Gorkhai to his house and handed him over to the forces camp, after which his whereabouts are unknown.
Collective Punishment:
For years, collective punishment has remained one of the policies of security forces to silence dissident voices by abducting, torturing, and killing their families. It has devastated the lives of families of political activists who could neither leave their settlements and leave nor could avoid the wrath of the army.
Saleh Haroon is one such person whose family has become a victim of collective punishment. On 26 April 2022, Saleh’s elderly father Haroon, who is paralyzed, was forcibly disappeared by the army during a raid on his home. That entire night, Haroon was subjected to inhuman torture. He was brought back to his home the next day in critical condition. The forces then detained and forcibly disappeared Haroon’s wife Shah Bibi, his sister-in-law Shehzadi, her 6-day-old daughter, and her father Abdul Rehman. Three days, forces went back to their home and forcibly disappeared Abdul Haq son of Abdul Rehman. However, the family was released after days of illegal detention and torture but the family was deeply traumatized.
Moreover, several people were ordered to appear in the military camp. During the summoning, the army officials confiscated all the identity documents of the people and threatened to seize their lands if their relatives who are activists don’t appear and surrender.
On April 19, FC soldiers abducted and forcibly disappeared seven women and children from a check post in Turbat, Kech. They were identified as Niwag, a widow, and her four-year-old son Rehan, Surat, and Fatima daughters of Lal Bakhsh, six-month-old Noori daughter of Ghafoor, Amina daughter of Hamza and Atiqa daughter of Rashid. Later, they were brought to the police station and framed in fake cases. However, their family members bailed them out.
Extra Judicial Executions:
The Human Rights Council of Balochistan received 434 cases of extrajudicial executions including forty-five women in Balochistan during the year 2022. Frontier Corps killed 127 people, Police, and its CTD killed 34 people including 31 missing persons in fake encounters, 41 people were killed by Baloch militant groups, five people were shot dead by Levies forces, one person was shot dead by Coast Guards, four people were killed by state-sponsored mercenaries, three people were killed by Tehreek Taliban Pakistan while perpetrators of 157 killings remained unknown.
Moreover, twenty-two mutilated dead bodies were found during the year, fourteen people died in bomb blasts, twelve people were killed by forces in their custody and their bodies were dumped, eighty-two people were shot dead during encounters with forces, twenty-six people including fifteen women were killed for honor while 133 people were killed in target killings.
Fake encounters:
For the last few years, fake encounters are widely practiced by Frontier Corps, the army, and the Police counter-terrorism department (CTD) to silence dissenting voices. Dozens of political workers, human rights defenders, teachers, and student activists were abducted, kept in incommunicado detention for months and in some cases for years, and later killed in staged encounters.
Last year, police CTD claimed to kill forty-seven people in clashes and encounters. Twenty-one of whom were identified were already registered enforced disappeared persons and since the government didn’t take any measure to identify the rest of the bodies, they were buried as unidentified people. This left the families of victims of enforced disappearances in trauma and anguish.
During the year 2022, we have received thirty-one cases of fake encounters in which the army killed eleven people while police CTD killed twenty people in fake encounters. Out of thirty-one, 22 people were identified and all of them were registered enforced disappeared persons who were abducted by the frontier corps and the army months and years ago. The identification of nine people remained unknown as the government refused to take measures for their identification.
On 12 July, a lieutenant colonel of the Pakistan Army, Laiq Mirza Baig was kidnapped by the Baloch Liberation Army, a militant group from the Ziarat area of Balochistan. Two days later, on 14 July, the group claimed responsibility for killing him. In retaliation, the Pakistan army swiftly initiated a large-scale military operation in the area, involving SSG commandos, gunship helicopters, and surveillance drones. The forces claimed to have killed eleven terrorists, involved in Colonel Baig’s murder.
Seven out of the eleven bodies were identified and turned out that all seven were victims of enforced disappearance and were already in the custody of forces for months and years. The victims of the fake encounter were identified as Shams Satakzai, Salim Karim Bakhsh, Dr. Mukhtiar, Mohammad Khan, Shahzad Khuda Bakhsh, Shah Bakhsh Marri, and Jumma Khan son of Qaisar Marri.
The details of the victims of the Ziarat massacre are as follows;
Shams Satakzai: Shams Satakzai was forcibly disappeared by the security forces in 2017. He remained disappeared for five years without any trace of his life until his dead body was dumped. He was forcibly disappeared twice in the past and was released after subjecting him to inhuman torture.
Shehzad Khuda Bakhsh: Shahzad Khuda Bakhsh was a resident of Kalat, who was abducted along with two others from the Musa colony of Quetta, during a military raid on June 04, 2022. Shahzad’s family had campaigned against his enforced disappearance after his abduction. The family also filed his disappearance case with Commission on Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance. The Commission allotted him case no: CoIoED No. 8734-B and directed the concerned police station to investigate. However, no investigation had ever been conducted.
Salim Karim Bakhsh: Salim son of Karim Bakhsh, a student and a resident of the Balgathar area of district Panjgur was forcibly whisked away on 17 April 2022 in front of several eyewitnesses, by the Frontier Corps when he was on his way to Quetta city. He was never charged or produced in front of a court of law.
Dr. Mukhtiar: Dr. Mukhtar son of Abdul Hai, a resident of district Kalat was a brilliant physiotherapist who was forcibly disappeared along with two others on 11 June 2022, during a military raid in Musa Colony of Quetta. He was kept incommunicado since then. However, forces kept assuring his family that he would be released after the investigation.
Shah Bakhsh Marri: Another body was identified as Shah Bakhsh Marri, who was also a victim of enforced disappearances. He was forcibly disappeared in 2013 and kept in incommunicado detention since then.
Jumma Khan Marri: Jumma Khan son of Qaisar Marri. He was detained from his home in the Mia Kor area of Harnai in March 2022 and forcibly disappeared. He has also been kept in incommunicado detention and never charged or produced in front of any court of law.
Mohammad Khan: Mohammad Khan s/o Feroz Khan Chilgari Marri was a resident of the Harnai area of Balochistan. Forces abducted him from Harnai Bazar in February 2022 and remained missing since then.
The identification of the rest of the four bodies remained unknown as their faces were mutilated beyond recognition.
The families took to the street and protested in front of the Chief Minister and Governor’s house in Quetta against the killing of enforced disappeared persons in fake encounters. The police on the other hand charged batons and fired tear gas at the protestors, injuring several women and children. After fifty days long sit-in protests in the red zone of Quetta, a negotiation team which include Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Law Minister Nazir Tarar negotiated with the protestors and assured them to carry out an impartial investigation into the matter and no victims of enforced disappearance would be killed in fake encounters.
However, in the month of October 2022, police CTD killed fourteen victims of enforced disappearance in fake encounters in three separate incidents.
On Oct 2, Police CTD claimed to kill four terrorists in a cross-firing in the Nutul area of district Naseerabad however, all of them were identified as victims of enforced disappearances. 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. 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.
Custodial Killings:
Human Rights Council of Balochistan received twelve cases of custodial killings. Four of the victims were abducted and killed by Frontier Corps while two victims were abducted and killed in the custody by police CTD.
Niamatullah Arz Mohammad: On 23 January, the mutilated body of Niamatullah son of Arz Mohammad was found in the mountainous terrain of the Kadkocha area of district Mastung.
According to Niamatullah’s family, he was taken into custody by Pakistani security forces from Lak- Pass, Mastung on January 17 and transferred to an unknown location. Since then, Niamatullah had been missing. According to doctors, the body of the young man is two days old and he was shot dead.
Hashim Domki: On February 3, Frontier Corps personnel whisked away Hashim Donki, Hayat Zangi and Anwar Gorgaij during a raid from the Sibbi area of Balochistan. Later on the same day, Hashim Domki was shot dead and his body was dumped while the whereabouts of the rest of the victims remained unknown.
Ehtesham Ghulam Sarwar: On February 03, the mutilated body of Ehtesham son of Master Ghulam Sarwar, a student and a resident of Tasp, district Panjgur was found in the area of Old Police Station in district Panjgur. Ehtesham was taken into custody when he was on his way to Chitkan bus terminal to receive his guests. He was shot and killed by Frontier Corps and his body was dumped.
Altaf Jadda: On February 03, Altaf Jadda was whisked away by state-sponsored mercenaries from the Tijaban area of district Kech and handed him over to Frontier Corps. On February 04, his bullet-riddle body was found in the Balgathar area of district Panjgur.
Nadeem Abdal: Nadeem Abdal was a mentally challenged person and a resident of Chitkan area of district Panjgur. After the February 03 attacks on Panjgur military camp, he was picked up by frontier corps. On February 05, his bullet-riddled body was found dumped.
Mohammad Ali Dinar: On February 12, 2022, soldiers of the Pakistan army raided several houses in Teertej village of district Awaran and forcibly disappeared Mohammad Ali son of Dinar, and his brother Wahid Dinar. The next night army officials summoned elders of the village and informed them that Mohammad Ali had died in their custody and was buried outside the military camp, while Wahid Dinar was released in critical condition.
The family of Mohammad Ali protested against his brutal killing in front of the army camp. The protestors demanded that the army should allow them to unearth the dead body so that they could bury him with dignity in accordance with religious rituals. The army officials denied their plea for hours and after the intervention of Assistant Commissioner Shahnawaz Baloch, women were allowed to unearth the body.
Later, Mohammad Ali was buried in a graveyard where his ancestors are buried in Teertej Awaran.
Abdul Wahid & Mohammad Iqbal: On March 17, 2022, Frontier Corps brought two dead bodies to Civil Hospital Awaran and handed them over to the hospital administration. Later one of the bodies was identified as Abdul Wahid son of Dad Mohammad who was forcibly disappeared by forces on October 9, 2021, and since then remained in the custody of forces. The second body was identified as Muhammad Iqbal son of Mohammad Yaqub, a resident of the Khuzdar district.
Mohammad Iqbal was forcibly disappeared from the Hub area of Balochistan on May 29, 2021, while traveling to Karachi. He had been in the custody of the forces for the last ten months.
Imam Bakhsh: Imam Bakhsh son of Kalu Khan Abdu was arrested by police CTD from Sukkur, Sindh on April 28, 2022. On May 08, his mutilated dead body was found in the Hyderabad area of Sindh.
Amin: Amin son of Ahmed was abducted by Frontier Corps during a raid on the Sabdan area in Dasht district Kech. He was subjected to brutal torture and he died from torture. Later, the family was summoned to the camp by Pakistani security forces, and threatened to bury Amin secretly. He was 17 years old and a resident of the Pittok Dasht area of district Kech.
Inayatullah Ghabirzai: On August 23, Police CTD detained Inayatullah Ghabirzai and two of his friend from the Pashtunabad area of Quetta. The next day his dead body was handed over to his family without any explanation. His body bore signs of severe torture whereas, the whereabouts of his friends still remain unknown.
Imran Babu: Imran Babu, a resident of the Kolwah area of district Awaran and labor by profession was summoned to the military camp in Gushanag Village of district Awaran on December 24, 2022. He was detained and the family was informed that he is in the custody of the army. On December 29, 2022, his bullet-riddled dead body was found dumped.
HRCB
Human Rights Council of Balochistan (Hakkpaan) is a non-profit and non-partisan human rights group bases in Balochistan, Sweden, UK and France. It collects reports from Balochistan, a region Pakistan government does not allow any media and HR group to visit and report. Human rights violations in Balochistan is not a new phenomenon, but it got its worst levels after the Military coup de tat of Pakistan in 1999. Thousands of Baloch have been reported missing, hundreds killed in fake encounters and so-called kill and dump policy of the military.
HRCB collects the data from Balochistan itself, through its network of volunteers and supporters, organizes and reports them to the human rights mechanisms of the world.
Balochistan: The State of Human Rights in 2022
The year 2022 remained of unrelenting misery and fear for the people of Balochistan as the government and military continued to abuse human rights in a multitude of ways. A drastic rise in enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing was recorded throughout the year. The worsening plight of families of enforced disappearances continued as the dead bodies of their loved ones continued to appear in desolated areas despite continuous protests and demonstrations and assurances from the government. The cruel onslaught against religious minorities continued while the state remains a silent spectator without taking action to curb terrorism. The vicious crackdowns against dissenting voices in Gwadar, Kech, Karachi, Islamabad, and Quetta and framing them in fake cases turned Balochistan into a much darker and a more unstable place.
Police brutality continued throughout the year 2022. Illegal house raids, framing victims of enforced disappearance in fake cases, killing of victims of enforced disappearance in fake encounters, intimidation, harassment, and use of excessive force on peaceful protests.
The United Arab Emirates illegally detained and deported Abdul Hafeez, a businessman to Pakistan without providing any details to the family. He was framed in a bogus case in Sindh and later the
Anti-Terrorism court acquitted him of all the fabricated charges. Other activists were also detained for questioning by UAE officials and later released
The Army and frontier corps continued to forcibly disappear and extrajudicially kill civilians during operations with absolute impunity. In some cases, forces summoned people to camp and later tortured them to death. Under the policy of Collective Punishment arrests of women, children, and elderly people was also recorded in 2022.
The Baloch students continued to face intimidation, harassment, racial profiling, and enforced disappearances in other provinces as well as Balochistan, particularly in educational institutions. The government not only failed to ensure their protection but also appealed against the Islamabad High Court’s decision to probe into the racial profiling of Baloch students.
The families of victims of enforced disappearances continued their protest demonstrations for the safe release of their loved ones in different cities throughout the year despite police’s use of excessive force and booking them on fabricated charges. Despite assurances from the Interior minister and law minister, bullet-riddled dead bodies of victims of enforced disappearance continued to appear in the desolated areas.
One of the most troubling developments in 2022 was the killings of women to uphold the honor of the family and tribe. Honor killings, the least reported and yet shameful issue remained on the rise during the year. In some areas, it is being practiced under the supervision of police and tribal leaders.
The recovery of dozens of decomposed dead bodies found on the rooftop of Nishtar Hospital in Multan sent shockwaves among the families of victims of enforced disappearances. The families demanded the government to take measures to identify the dead bodies through DNA testing, however the government disregarded the families’ request to investigate the matter. The identities of the deceased remained a mystery by the end of the year.
The year 2022 left Balochistan in a deeply unstable world full of trepidation and uncertainty about the future. The very idea of human dignity and equality came under vigorous and relentless assault from the powerful narrative of blame, fear, and scapegoating, propagated by those who sought to take or cling on to power at any cost.
Police Violence:
In recent years, alongside Frontier Corps and the army, the police force has become one of the main perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes against humanity particularly its counter-terrorism department (CTD). Throughout the year 2022, Police remained in the limelight for their brutality and use of excessive force on peaceful protestors. Moreover, the police counter-terrorism department had also been involved in framing victims of enforced disappearances in fake cases and fake encounters. Despite protests from families of victims of enforced disappearances, police brutality continued with absolute impunity.
In the year 2022, we have documented at least forty-nine incidents of enforced disappearances where police CTD was found involved. Furthermore, Police CTD has killed twenty-one people in fake encounters, eleven people were killed during illegal raids, and one person was killed in the custody.
Crackdown on Haq Du Tehreek:
Haq Do Tehreek was first formed in November 2021 after local fishermen, traders, and people who rely on border trade came together against illegal trawling in the sea, restrictions on fishermen to access to the sea, closure of the Pakistan-Iran border and installations of military check posts. The month-long strike ended after negotiations between the organizers and the government of Balochistan. But, a year later when the government failed to fulfill its promises, Haq Do Tehreek once again went on strike in October 2022. However, on December, 26, the police force arrested Hussain Wadhela, one of the movement’s founding members with his companions, resulting in an eruption of clashes between the protestors and police. The government-imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for one month and blocked communication networks for more than a week to clamp down on the protest. Moreover, the forces detained more than a hundred active members of Haq Du Tehreek from Gwadar and Kech districts. The locals alleged that during the raids, forces had beaten up women and children, houses were looted and the right to privacy and dignity were violated. The victims published videos on social media showing their wounds to back their allegations. Other disturbing videos were also found on social media where forces can be seen beating up shopkeepers and protestors before dragging them to their vehicles.
The charges against some of the detainees were later dropped and several others were released on bail, however, section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is still in place.
Use of Force on Women and Children:
The families of victims of enforced disappearances, after exhausting all the local remedies for the safe release of their loved ones, turned to public protest and demonstrations to put pressure on the authorities to release their loved ones or provide information about them. However, their peaceful protest met with harassment, intimidation, and police violence and brutality.
On June 9, 2022, Doda Ilahi and Ghamshad, students of Karachi were forcibly disappeared from their homes during a night raid. On June 10, their families began a protest for their safe release outside of the Karachi Press Club, and on June 12, the protestors marched towards Sindh Assembly followed by a sit-in protest in front of the assembly gate. However, the police used excessive and unlawful force to disperse the protestors. The protestors were beaten and humiliated before being detained and taken to the police station. After hours of illegal detention, all the detainees were released without charges.
Similarly, on May 24, 2022, several protestors, men and women, were arbitrarily detained by Sindh police in Karachi during a peaceful protest outside Karachi Press Club. All the detainees were later released without any charges against them. However, the violence that protestors endured is a violation of their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Racial Profiling and Crackdown on Baloch Students:
For decades, Baloch students have always been the major targets of the state, but during the past few years, a sudden increase has been witnessed in involuntary disappearances of Baloch students, not only in Balochistan but all across Pakistan. During the year 2022, at least eighty-four students were subjected to enforced disappearances. Among them, sixty-six students were abducted from Balochistan while eighteen students were involuntarily detained from the federal Capital and other provinces of Pakistan. Moreover, Baloch students were harassed, discriminated and subjected to racial profiling in educational institutions in Punjab followed by enforced disappearances.
Baloch students filed a petition in Islamabad High Court against harassment, racial profiling, and enforced disappearances. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah ordered the formation of a commission to probe the harassment and abduction of Baloch students. However, the government appealed against the IHC decision in the Supreme Court. The case is still pending for hearing.
The incompetence of the government to address the issue compelled students to take to the streets and protest to highlight their plights in educational institutions. However, most of the peaceful protests were again met with police violence and brutality.
On March 1, the students carried out a peace walk from Islamabad National Press Club to D-Chowk, carrying banners and placards against the enforced disappearance of their fellow students. The Islamabad police violently crackdown on students and baton-charged the protestors when they were setting up a protest camp in front of the press club. Several students were injured in the assault and taken to the hospital for treatment
On May 11, secret service agents whisked away Feroz Noor Bakhsh from Arid University Rawalpindi and shifted him to an unknown location. In protest, students carried out a peace walk on campus, carrying placards against racial profiling and the enforced disappearance of Baloch students followed by a sit-in protest in front of the university administration. Instead of addressing students’ pleas, the administration called the police and university security to clamp down on the protest. The security guards, intimidated and threatened the students to end their sit-in protest and ripped off posters of Feroz that were put on the walls for awareness.
In September 2022, after the Pakistan Cricket team lost the Asia Cup final match against Sri Lanka, Baloch students like millions of other fans celebrated the victory of the Sri Lankan team. However, the police patrolling vehicle apprehended Baloch students and put them at Brewery Road Police Station. In protests, several students protested in front of the police station and eventually got their fellow students released.
Police Bogus Cases:
The Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) was first introduced in 2010 after revamping the Crime Investigation Department, another police department. But the CTD soon gained a reputation as an encounter specialist squad due to the sheer number of fake encounters it carried out in the province. The department is also involved in violent raids and framing victims of enforced disappearance by fabricating charges in bogus cases.
On 01 February, Mohammad Ghous, a resident of Harnai, district Harnai, was detained by the CTD of police when he was on his way to Macch, district Kachhi. The CTD’s spokesperson later claimed that it was an intelligence-based operation and Mohammad Ghous alias Ghousia was arrested with explosives. The CTD also claimed that he is a militant affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army.
His whereabouts remain unknown till the filing of this report.
On February 8, Abdul Hafeez, a final year student of M. Phil in Physics at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad was teaching his students in the academy in his hometown of Khuzdar when armed masked men picked him up from the classroom in front of students. A complaint was lodged in the City Police Station Khuzdar regarding his involuntary disappearance about which the police assured the family that they have initiated an investigation.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Abdul Hafeez’s fellow students organized a range of protests and demonstrations. The Baloch Students Council Islamabad set up a protest camp for his safe return where the minister of Human Rights, Ms. Shireen Mazari also visited and assured her cooperation for the safe return of Abdul Hafeez. However, on March 30, Abdul Hafeez resurfaced in police custody in Dera Murad Jamali. Moreover, a fake FIR dated March 15, 2022, was also filed against
Abdul Hafeez by Police CTD, Naseerabad claiming that he was arrested from Goth Mohammad Mittal Magsi area of Jafarabad with explosives in his possession. After months of court hearings, he was finally released however, his studies were affected by months-long detention and torture.
On 27 June, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested a man named Abdul Basit son of Abdul Ghani with arms and explosives from the Sui area of Dera Bugti. In fact, he was abducted by the FC and secret agencies during a raid on a house in the Jewar Colony area of Quetta on 17 February.
On 18 July, the Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed in a press release to have arrested and confiscated arms and explosives from Ghous Bakhsh son of Ali Khan Langani Marri in Hazar Ganji, Quetta. It is further claimed that during an intelligence-based operation, the CTD arrested a suspected member of the Baloch Liberation Army. Contrary to the claims of the CTD, Ghous Bakhsh was forcibly disappeared by security forces from the Ghosth area of Shahrag on 09 August 2021. Ghous Bakhsh’s whereabouts remained unknown for 11 months.
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.
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 is still unknown.
