Human Rights Chaos: Surge in Violations in Balochistan

A recent report by the Human Rights Council of Balochistan reveals alarming human rights violations in March 2025, with a spike in enforced disappearances and killings. The report details state-led crackdowns, especially targeting activists and protesters, urging international intervention to address escalating violence.

The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) has released a concerning report revealing a sharp increase in human rights violations throughout Balochistan in March 2025. The report, as cited by The Balochistan Post, highlights a disturbing rise in enforced disappearances and killings amid government crackdowns on activists and peaceful demonstrators.

According to the findings, 151 individuals were subjected to enforced disappearances, with 80 people falling victim to extrajudicial killings. The HRCB, an independent rights organization based in Balochistan and Sweden, emphasized the intensifying nature of state repression in the province. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), activists, and demonstrators faced significant targeting, culminating in numerous arrests. Of those forcibly disappeared, only 56 have reappeared, with one confirmed jailed, leaving 94 unaccounted for.

Security entities like the Frontier Corps (FC), intelligence agencies, and the Counter Terrorism Department are implicated in the majority of these abductions, with the FC alone responsible for 97 disappearances. Major hotspots include Kalat, Quetta, and Gwadar. Disturbingly, students accounted for a significant portion of the affected, alongside various professionals. The report details 80 killings, with Kachhi district recording the highest number of deaths.

Incidents involving state forces directly contributed to several deaths, including the tragic killing of a woman attempting to prevent her husband's abduction. Another massacre saw seven family members killed. The lack of transparency, particularly regarding the handling of unidentified bodies, raises serious concerns, prompting the HRCB to call for urgent international intervention and accountability for the ongoing violence.

(With inputs from agencies.)