Balochistan [Pakistan], November 23 : The Baloch Students Organisation Azad (BSO-Azad) has accused the Pakistani military and "state-supported" armed factions of murdering a school teacher in the Buleda area of Kech district, part of a broader trend of attacking civilians throughout Balochistan, as per a report from The Balochistan Post (TBP).
According to BSO-Azad, Ayaz Baloch, a teacher hailing from Buleda, was killed by what they termed "state-sponsored death squads" that function as part of a counterinsurgency strategy. The organisation claimed that Pakistani forces employ proxy armed groups to execute extrajudicial killings to "avoid directly dirtying their hands," as noted in the TBP report.
BSO-Azad asserted that Ayaz was recognised for his work teaching children in remote regions and accused the Pakistani military of systematically targeting everyday civilians, such as "students, teachers, doctors, writers, political activists, and other non-combatants", through enforced disappearances and killings.
"The Pakistani state is engaged in severe war crimes in Balochistan," the statement indicated, calling for urgent action from global human rights organisations. It urged international bodies to "stop the atrocities being perpetrated against the Baloch nation," as cited by the TBP report.
In a separate announcement, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) reported that Ayaz had been forcibly taken on 12 November near the Main Bazar area of Mehnaz while he was heading home from school, allegedly abducted by Pakistani armed forces along with a state-sponsored armed group.
The BYC mentioned that his mutilated and decayed body was discovered on 19 November in the Reko Dam area of Buleda, adding that he was identified only by his clothing and shoes since "his face was unrecognisable due to torture and decomposition," according to the TBP report.
The organisation remarked that the incident "highlights a more extensive trend of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture" occurring in Balochistan, including cases involving teachers, students, activists, and women. It urged the global community to promptly recognise the critical situation, as emphasised by the TBP report.