Balochistan [Pakistan], August 19 : The Baloch Students Organization-Azad (BSO Azad) has alleged that a Pakistani aerial attack in Surab's Gundan area on the night of August 12 killed more than 20 civilians and injured dozens of others, including women, children, and elderly people.
In a report on the incident, BSO Azad said residential homes in the Gundan area of Gidar, Surab, were struck during the alleged aerial bombardment, resulting in the destruction of houses and displacement of families from the affected area.
According to BSO Azad, civilians were inside their homes when the attack took place. The organisation alleged that children, women, and elderly people were among those killed, while several others sustained serious injuries. It further claimed that some victims suffered severe injuries, including the loss of limbs and extensive burns.
BSO Azad described the incident as part of what it termed a continuing pattern of military operations, bombardments, and shelling affecting civilian populations across Balochistan.
The organisation cited previous incidents in areas including Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Mashkay, Bolan, Panjgur, and Zehri, alleging that villages and settlements in these regions have repeatedly been affected by military operations and attacks.
According to BSO Azad, a similar pattern of civilian casualties has also been reported in other recent incidents. It alleged that a drone strike by Pakistani forces in Mastung two days before the Surab incident killed a shepherd.
The organisation also referred to an earlier bombardment in Sham-e-Sar, Panjgur, where it alleged that women and children were killed, including a 10-month-old baby.
BSO Azad further alleged that Pakistani authorities attempted to attribute the Surab incident to Baloch militants. The organisation claimed that subsequent video footage showing what it described as remnants of Pakistani aerial missiles undermined the official account.
The organisation alleged that such incidents, including airstrikes, mortar shelling, and drone attacks, have become part of a broader pattern of violence against civilians in Balochistan.
BSO Azad also linked the Surab incident to what it described as a wider pattern of repression, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, displacement, and other forms of violence against the Baloch population.
Calling for international attention, the organisation said the alleged continuation of bombardments and repression in Balochistan warrants efforts to hold Pakistan accountable for what it termed ongoing "genocide" and "war crimes."
BSO Azad said the Surab incident should not be allowed to become another statistic and warned against what it described as the normalisation of violence against civilians.
The organisation further said that continued military operations and repression would not end the Baloch resistance. It maintained that such actions would instead strengthen nationalist sentiment and resistance among the Baloch population.
BSO Azad reaffirmed that it would continue documenting and highlighting what it described as human rights violations and state violence in Balochistan, while expressing solidarity with victims, their families, and those affected by the alleged bombardment.