Rights body condemns extrajudicial killing of Baloch people in Awaran, urges international probe into state violence

Awaran [Pakistan], May 28 (ANI): The human rights organisation Paank, affiliated with the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has condemned a brutal military operation by Pakistani forces in the Malaar Machhi area of Balochistan’s Awaran, which left two civilians dead and a woman critically injured.

The incident took place between the night of May 26 and the early hours of May 27. According to Paank, Pakistani forces raided several homes at approximately 1 am without warrants. When residents resisted, troops opened indiscriminate fire. Naeem Baloch and his aunt Hoori were shot and killed on the spot. Naeem’s mother, Dadi Baloch, suffered life-threatening injuries.

Despite her critical condition, Dadi Baloch was reportedly denied immediate medical care and remained unattended throughout the night. She was only taken to Awaran Hospital the following morning.

“This is not an isolated event, this marks the fourth such violent operation in Awaran within a week. In total, five civilians have been killed in these operations," Paank stated.

The family has a long history of being targeted by the Pakistani state. In 2015, seven members of the same family, including another aunt of Naeem named Gohar, were killed in an aerial bombardment. That attack was never investigated. Naeem was also forcibly disappeared in 2023, while his mother was previously detained by the Pakistan Army in 2015.

Paank has demanded an immediate and independent international investigation into this incident and other similar acts of state violence.

It urged the United Nations, international human rights groups, and global civil society to break their silence and take meaningful action to hold Pakistan accountable.

Meanwhile, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) has vehemently condemned these alleged extrajudicial killings and announced a district-wide strike in Awaran scheduled for May 28, The Balochistan Post reported.

In their statement, the BWF asserted that law enforcement agencies conducted the raid without any legal basis and indiscriminately fired upon individuals, resulting in the deaths of Naeem Baloch and Hoori Baloch and the injury of Dadi Baloch.

The Forum accused state authorities of carrying out a “genocide against the Baloch population." It stated that security forces have been granted “unrestricted freedom and are employing force without restraint in Baloch regions."

Expressing solidarity with the victims’ families, the BWF urged national and international organisations to pay attention to the circumstances and advocate against “state repression." It encouraged the residents of Awaran to join the strike on 28 May and show their support for the affected families, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)

World