Missing Persons, Unidentified Bodies and Suicide Attacks Intensify Tensions in Balochistan

Speakers from Baloch political and civil society circles used a major rights gathering in Lahore to amplify allegations of repression in Balochistan, focusing on enforced disappearances, shrinking civic space and the marginalisation of elected actors, even as a troubling series of incidents in the province and a spike in insurgent violence underscored the region’s deepening crisis.

The debate at the Lahore event repeatedly returned to whether Islamabad’s security-centric approach had eclipsed political engagement, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

According to The Balochistan Post, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee said its leader, Sammi Deen Baloch, met diplomats, parliamentarians and media representatives on the sidelines.

She portrayed an environment where protests are curtailed and criticism of authorities invites detention.

In conversations with international delegates, she also drew attention to claims involving women and minors and referenced the case of Mahrang Baloch.

Did UN Officials Take Note of Alleged Rights Violations in Balochistan?

Participants familiar with the meetings said UN officials listened to the briefings and signalled that the information would be conveyed to relevant mechanisms.

No immediate reaction was issued by government representatives.

At the podium, Akhtar Mengal of the Balochistan National Party challenged prevailing narratives about militancy.

He contended that some groups described as insurgents by the state were regarded by portions of the local population as protectors, adding that residents often retreated indoors during security operations.

Such lived realities, he argued, are rarely visible beyond the province.

Why Is Abdul Malik Baloch Urging Dialogue Over a Security-Centric Approach in Balochistan?

Mengal revisited historic commitments tied to Muhammad Ali Jinnah and said pledges on autonomy remained unmet.

He also cited remarks attributed to Rana Sanaullah regarding negotiations, questioning the risks leaders had previously faced after entering talks.

Former chief minister Abdul Malik Baloch described complaints from families of missing persons as a constant feature of his public meetings.

He urged authorities to move away from a purely coercive frame, calling instead for dialogue, constitutionalism and attention to unemployment and trade disruptions.

He warned that continued neglect could aggravate instability, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.

Why Did Rana Sanaullah’s Speech Spark Uproar at the Balochistan Rights Event?

The event ended in uproar when parts of Rana Sanaullah’s speech were taken by many in the audience as a defence of enforced disappearances.

Several activists, including Sammi Deen Baloch and Sheema Kermani, left the hall, while protesters outside demanded the release of Mahrang Baloch.

Critics said such remarks jarred with Asma Jahangir’s legacy and the principles associated with her name, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

Even as rights advocates raised concerns in Lahore, multiple districts in Balochistan witnessed grim discoveries over recent days, renewing criticism of the state’s handling of security in the province, according to The Balochistan Post.

The body of an unidentified individual was recovered from the Jantri Kor stream in Buleda, Kech.

Do the Severely Damaged Bodies in Loralai Point to Torture in Balochistan?

Residents who saw the remains said the victim appeared to have been shot. Authorities have not clarified the individual’s identity or the possible motive behind the killing.

The body was shifted to a medical facility to complete legal formalities.

Earlier in the week, three bodies were found in the Rara Sham area of Musa Khel in the Loralai division.

Two of the deceased were later identified as Fareed, son of Anwar Jan, and Mujeeb ur Rehman, son of Khair Muhammad, while the third individual remains unidentified.

Local residents described the bodies as severely damaged, raising suspicions that abuse or torture may have taken place prior to death.

How Is the Surge in Insurgent Violence Reshaping Security in Balochistan?

Officials transported the bodies for postmortem examination and documentation, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.

In Hub, witnesses alleged that security personnel belonging to the Frontier Corps, along with officials from the Counter Terrorism Department, detained Sohrab Baloch from the Baloch Colony neighbourhood in public view without presenting an arrest warrant.

Family members said they were not informed where he was taken or the charges he might face. Relatives further alleged that Sohrab had previously gone missing under similar circumstances in 2017 and 2019, each time reappearing after days or weeks.

They claimed no case is registered against him and demanded that, if the state has any allegations, he be produced before a court in accordance with legal procedure, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

The unrest has unfolded alongside a surge in insurgent violence in Pakistan’s largest yet poorest province.

Wearing military fatigues with rifles slung over their shoulders, Yasma Baloch and her husband Waseem smiled into the camera for a picture released by Pakistani insurgents after their final mission: detonating suicide bombs.

"They shared a marriage before they shared a final stand," the Baloch Liberation Army said in a statement accompanying the heavily edited photograph sent to journalists and distributed on social media.

Insurgent attacks in the province hit a record last year, fanning risks to huge investments planned in the region, including Chinese and U.S. interests.

(With inputs from ANI)