A fresh report from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has laid bare a harrowing surge in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and fabricated police encounters across Balochistan throughout February 2026. Published via The Balochistan Post, the document accuses Pakistani security forces of systematic abuses that have claimed at least 19 lives in just one month.

Activists warn that the true figure likely exceeds this tally, obscured by pervasive media censorship and the terror gripping affected families.

Strict controls on information flow have stifled independent reporting, leaving many incidents unverified and unpublicised. Families of victims, haunted by reprisals, often remain silent, exacerbating the opacity surrounding the province's security operations. This climate of fear has rendered on-ground fact-finding missions perilous, if not impossible, for journalists and human rights observers.

The BYC report paints a grim picture of unarmed civilians falling prey to state violence, with minors and students disproportionately targeted.

Among the tragedies detailed is the death of a three-year-old child, reportedly killed in a drone strike—an incident that underscores the indiscriminate nature of such operations. Similarly, a 12-year-old boy was allegedly shot dead, his young life extinguished in what the committee decries as needless brutality.

Several cases involve students who vanished after enforced disappearances, only to resurface as corpses. The report singles out matriculation and FSc pupils Nawab Abdullah, Jangiyan Baloch, and Junaid Ahmed, whose bodies were discovered post-abduction. These killings, the BYC contends, reflect a deliberate strategy to intimidate Baloch youth and suppress dissent through terror.

One incident stands out for its prominence: the case of 24-year-old Hamdan Baloch. Detained by Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department in Karachi on 29 December 2025, he was slain on 18 February in an so-called "encounter." Authorities claimed he was armed and resisting, yet the BYC dismisses this as a staged execution, citing inconsistencies in the official narrative and lapses in custody protocols.

The report implicates other victims, such as Malang Baloch, Karim Jan, Pazeer Baloch, and Aseel Baloch, all of whom endured forcible abduction before meeting violent ends. Some fatalities are pinned on assaults by alleged state-sponsored militias, blurring the lines between official forces and proxy actors in Balochistan's volatile landscape.

This pattern of disappearances followed by "encounters" echoes longstanding allegations against Pakistan's security apparatus in the province. Critics argue it serves to eliminate perceived insurgents without due process, while branding the deceased as militants to justify the actions. The BYC frames these events as an existential assault on Baloch identity, dignity, and survival.

Balochistan's strategic significance—home to vital ports like Gwadar and vast mineral resources—intensifies the stakes. Beijing's heavy investments via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have heightened Islamabad's resolve to quell unrest, often at the cost of local rights. Yet, such tactics risk fuelling the very insurgency they aim to crush, as groups like the Baloch Liberation Army exploit grievances for recruitment.

The committee's documentation draws from eyewitness accounts, family testimonies, and circumstantial evidence, though Pakistani officials routinely deny the claims, labelling BYC a front for separatists. Independent probes remain elusive, hampered by restricted access for bodies like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch.

In response, the BYC has issued a clarion call to the United Nations and global human rights entities. It demands impartial investigations, accountability for perpetrators, and an immediate halt to disappearances. Without international intervention, the group warns, Balochistan's "bleeding" will persist, eroding Pakistan's legitimacy on the world stage.

This report arrives amid escalating tensions in South Asia, where Pakistan's internal fractures could ripple into regional instability. For India, monitoring Balochistan offers insights into Islamabad's counter-insurgency playbook, potentially informing its own border security postures. As the death toll mounts, the international community faces mounting pressure to confront these allegations head-on.

ANI