Balochistan [Pakistan] July 2 : A 15-year-old boy from Balochistan's Panjgur district has allegedly been killed after spending nearly three months in enforced disappearance, according to claims by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), as reported by The Balochistan Post.
According to The Balochistan Post, the rights group identified the victim as the son of Faiz Muhammad and a resident of Chitkan in Panjgur. According to the BYC, the teenager was allegedly taken away during the month of Ramadan and remained missing for around three months before his body was reportedly discovered on Airport Road on June 29.
The committee alleged that he was killed by what it described as "death squads," a term commonly used by Baloch activists to refer to alleged state-backed armed groups. The BYC strongly condemned the incident, describing it as another case of enforced disappearance followed by an extrajudicial killing.
The organisation questioned why its own leaders continue to face legal proceedings while, according to its allegations, those responsible for such killings are not brought to justice. It urged international human rights organisations and the wider global community to intervene and examine what it described as worsening human rights conditions in Balochistan.
His death is reportedly the 10th case reported by the BYC during June in which individuals allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance were later found dead, reportedly bearing signs of torture or killed in incidents that rights groups characterise as staged encounters. The reported duration of disappearances in these cases ranged from a few days to several months, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.
Enforced disappearances have remained a major point of concern in Balochistan for more than two decades. Local rights organisations and international human rights bodies have repeatedly documented allegations linking Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, as reported by The Balochistan Post.