March 31, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
A report counting various cases of human rights abuses happening in Balochistan during the month of February, was released recently where it was revealed that under the data collected, at least 234 cases of enforced disappearances were recorded across the province and 87 cases of killings.
The data was collected by an organization called the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (Hakkpaan), a prominent voice in Balochistan among human rights defenders. HRCB maintains that it is a non-profit and non-partisan. It collects data through its network of volunteers and supporters, organizes and reports them to the human rights mechanisms of the world.
Enforced disappearances
The report centered around incidents during February shows that enforced disappearance cases top the list of abuses with 234 cases.
Out of the total 234 cases, 100 cases were of individuals the government claimed to have detained as “suspects,” yet still no details have been disclosed regarding their identities or current status. It remains unclear whether they have been released, formally charged, or continue to be held incommunicado, similar to thousands of others.
Three of these cases were carried over from the previous month and year.
Of the total victims, 233 were male, and one was female. Only 37 of those taken have reappeared; among them, two were shifted to jail on false charges, while the majority remain without a trace.
The most common mode of abduction was through detention (136 out of 234 cases). House raids were the second most frequent method, recorded in 92 cases. Abductions at check-posts (5 cases) and through summons to camps (1 case) were also documented.
Among those who were seen as being responsible for these abductions was the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) which was identified as the lead ‘perpetrator’, linked to 123 of the 234 cases, accounting for more than half of all incidents. The Frontier Corps (FC) followed with 65 cases, while intelligence agencies were linked to 41 cases. Death squads were implicated in 5 cases.
Students were the most affected group, with 32 cases, followed by labourers (11), shopkeepers (9), and farmers (8). Other affected groups include fishermen (6) and police constables (4), as well as mechanics, drivers, and tailors. Overall, most victims come from ordinary civilian and working-class backgrounds.
Geographically, abductions were heavily concentrated in Quetta, which alone accounts for 119 out of 234 cases, more than half of all reported incidents. Other districts, including Nushki (19), Kech (18), and Hub (17), also recorded significant numbers, followed by Gwadar (12) and Panjgur (10). Cases were also documented in Awaran, Karachi, and Kalat, along with single reported incidents from Multan and Islamabad.
Woman among those abducted
In one of the cases, a woman was also disappeared. On February 8, Fazal Kareem, son of Muhammad Ameen, 48, a police employee, his son Nawaz Shareef, 28, a police clerk, and his wife Hayat Bibi, 42, residents of Nokjow Mashkay, Awaran, were forcibly disappeared by FC and intelligence agencies from their home in Gazgi, Khuzdar.
No information has been released about them till now.
Killings
In February, a total of 87 killings were documented across Balochistan, including 82 men and five women. The identities of 15 victims could not be confirmed.
Of the total killings, the largest share resulted from indiscriminate firing, accounting for 30 cases. Targeted killings and custodial killings each accounted for 17 cases, while fake encounters were responsible for 15 cases. Alleged encounters accounted for 8 cases, while drone strikes and mortar shelling were recorded in one case each.
The FC was responsible for the majority of killings (44 out of 87), the CTD was linked to 19 cases, while state-backed death squads were responsible for 13. In addition, several killings were carried out by unknown perpetrators, while intelligence agencies were linked to 3 cases.
Geographically, incidents were concentrated in a few key districts. Panjgur and Nushki reported the highest number of cases (15 each), followed by Gwadar (13) and Kech (12). Quetta also accounted for a notable share (9), while Barkhan reported 6 cases. Both Karachi and Khuzdar recorded 4 cases each. The remaining areas reported fewer incidents, including Duki (3), and Surab and Awaran (2 each), while Mastung and Washuk reported 1 case each.
Children among those killed
On February 1, security forces in Turbat, shelled the civilian neighborhood of Pullabad area of Kech with mortars, killing 15-year-old Anas Baloch, son of Ibrahim. The shelling also critically injured a five-year-old child and two women. Following the attack, the forces reportedly destroyed residential homes in the locality.
A child was also killed in a drone strike in the Nushki district. Local sources reported that the incident took place in the Killi Jamaldini area, where a house was targeted. The child was identified as Deedag, son of Abdul Manan. According to reports, on February 1, Pakistani forces carried out more than 20 drone strikes, accompanied by firing and shelling from helicopters.
Other Incidents
Security Forces Fired BM-21 Grad Rockets on Civilian Areas in Turbat
On February 1, forces reportedly fired BM-21 Grad rockets on civilian areas in Turbat, with projectiles reportedly landing directly in populated neighborhoods and injuring several people. Across different locations, 11 individuals, including three women and three children, were hospitalized. Three critically injured patients were transferred to Karachi for further treatment, while the remaining injured received care at Turbat Teaching Hospital.
Curfew, Raids, and House Demolitions Across Balochistan Following Security Operations
On February 10, following a week of militant attacks, security forces imposed a strict curfew in Nushki city, ordering shops to remain closed and confining residents to their homes. Tanks and armored vehicles entered the city as forces began demolishing houses. Among the properties destroyed was the family home of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) leader Bashir Zeb in the Ahmadwal area, along with another house in Qaziabad, reportedly vacant since 2011, which had belonged to Haji Abdul Samad, who reportedly passed away in 2009.
Operations continued in Nushki as forces carried out further raids targeting properties linked to political figures. Guesthouses belonging to Haji Bahadur Khan Mengal, a BNP central leader and Central Executive Committee member, and Mir Muhammad Ali Khan Mengal, the current District Chairman, were demolished. These actions have raised serious concerns among local residents over the indiscriminate nature of the security operations.
In Gwadar’s coastal Panwan area, military forces demolished the house of Noor Bakhsh Kalmati using heavy machinery. The family reported that the operation lasted until around 3 am and involved a significant deployment of Pakistani forces. Tariq Kalmati, a family member, had previously been forcibly disappeared last year and later recovered, while other relatives have reportedly been detained or disappeared in separate incidents.
Further violence was reported in the Killi Sharif Khan area of Nushki, where security forces demolished the house of Nazir Ahmad Badini. During the raid, women and children were subjected to violence, and Nazir Ahmad Badini was forcibly disappeared. Badini is the father of the well-known poet Absar Baloch, and his young son, football player Balach Badini, had previously been forcibly disappeared and later killed in May 2024 by a “death squad” operating under Pakistani intelligence supervision.
Similar operations extended to Tump, Kech, and Lijjay, Kharan, where security forces reportedly cordoned off areas, raided homes, looted jewelry and valuables, and demolished or set fire to houses. Civilians, including women, were subjected to violence during these raids.
On February 21, reports from Pasni Grani in Gwadar indicated that Pakistani forces demolished the house of a local man named Muhammad, destroying the property and leaving the family displaced.
Mass Detentions Reported in Quetta as Authorities Claim Arrests Without Evidence
Security forces reportedly detained more than one hundred individuals during operations in various areas of Quetta and transferred them to undisclosed locations. Meanwhile, the provincial government claimed that around one hundred “suspected persons” were arrested and that weapons were recovered from several houses; however, no evidence was presented to the media to substantiate these claims.