Balochistan families allege ‘fake encounters' as youths go missing, found dead

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29-05-2025

A fresh surge of alleged fake encounters by Pakistani forces in Balochistan has triggered widespread anger. Rights activists say security agencies are killing detainees and disguising the deaths as armed clashes. read more
A fresh wave of suspected fake encounters in Balochistan by Pakistani forces has sparked public outrage in the country's restive province.
Baloch rights activists have accused security forces of killing three people in custody and staging the incidents to appear as armed clashes. The three deceased have been identified as Abdul Rehman Buzdar, Fareed Buzdar, and Sultan Marri. Their mortal remains were later shifted to the Basic Health Unit hospital in Rakhi.
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The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Monday that it had killed three militants in an operation in Barkhan district.
However, families and Baloch rights groups rejected the claim, stating that the men had been missing for months and were victims of enforced disappearance.
Activists alleged that 'the men were executed after being held in illegal detention.'
Earlier, a spokesperson for Pakistan's CTD claimed that the men died during an exchange of fire and that weapons had been recovered from the scene.
However, Pakistan has long presented such narratives, while its agencies and forces are frequently accused of committing human rights violations, including enforced disappearances.
In another incident, a young man named Ghaus Bakhsh was found dead in the Kolwah tehsil of Awaran district. He had reportedly been summoned to a nearby military camp, and his body was discovered a few hours later, bearing signs of torture.
Pakistan continues to suppress the Baloch insurgency and calls for independence through enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the crackdown on peaceful protests.
In March 2025 alone, the Human Rights Council of Balochistan documented 151 enforced disappearances and 80 killings, highlighting a sharp escalation in violence and repression.