The latest killings have reignited accusations of extrajudicial executions and the use of counterterrorism laws to cover up custodial deaths in Balochistan….reports Asian Lite News
Concerns have deepened across Balochistan following the recovery of three bullet-riddled bodies from a stream in the jurisdiction of Yaroshahr Police Station in Dukki district in the province of Pakistan, sparking renewed outcry over what families and activists describe as systematic enforced disappearances, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
Police confirmed that the bodies were transferred to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Dukki, where medical personnel identified the deceased as Ali Mohammad Hassan Baloch, Mohammad Younas, son of Mohammad Isa Baloch, and Wali Mohammad, son of Amir Mohammad, all residents of Killi Safar Ali Baloch in Dukki. Doctors confirmed that all three were shot dead.
According to The Balochistan Post, one of the victims, Mohammad Younas, had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance by Pakistani security forces. His case had been acknowledged by the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) in a statement issued on June 21. The BNP-M revealed that a delegation from Dukki had informed party leadership in Quetta about several individuals being detained by security personnel during raids in the area, including Mohammad Younas.
The Balochistan Post noted that recent months have seen a pattern of security forces and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claiming to kill “armed suspects” in Dukki, only for families to identify the deceased as forcibly disappeared persons later.
On June 28, the CTD reported the killing of four alleged militants. However, the deceased were later recognised by their families as Wazir Khan Suhlani, a local poet missing for eight months; Sohbat, son of Khamees; and Haider Ali, son of Wazir Ahmed, both missing for several months.
In April, five individuals were similarly killed in an alleged shootout. Families of three of the deceased identified them as victims of enforced disappearance, while two bodies remain unidentified.
As reported by The Balochistan Post, the latest killings have reignited accusations of extrajudicial executions and the use of counterterrorism laws to cover up custodial deaths in Balochistan. (ANI)
