The recovery of five bodies from the Panwan and Ganz areas of Jiwani has reignited allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.

Relatives and rights groups have asserted that at least four of the victims had been missing for months before their remains were discovered, intensifying criticism of Pakistan’s security forces.

The military has claimed that the deceased were armed militants killed during a security operation following a vehicle-borne attack by the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade on a Pakistan Coast Guard camp in Panwan. This official narrative has been strongly contested by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, activists, and family members, who insist the men had documented histories of enforced disappearance.

The victims were identified as Abdul Haq, Peeri son of Assa, Shah Bakhsh son of Umar, and Haider Ali Mohammad, while the fifth body remains unidentified. BYC stated that Peeri and Shah Bakhsh were taken from their homes in Robar on 7 January and remained missing until their bodies were recovered. 

VBMP highlighted that Haider Ali Mohammad’s family had staged a protest outside the Gwadar deputy commissioner’s office in August 2025 demanding his release. Abdul Haq, principal of Memar-e-Nau Academy in Gwadar, had himself been missing since February.

Rights groups noted Abdul Haq’s personal tragedy, as he was the younger brother of Mohammad Ramzan Baloch, who allegedly disappeared in 2009. Abdul Haq had spent years supporting his brother’s family while campaigning for justice. VBMP has demanded an independent investigation into what it described as his extrajudicial killing.

BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch remarked that the incident reflected a continuing pattern of enforced disappearances followed by the recovery of mutilated bodies. BNM chairman Dr Naseem Baloch emphasised that Abdul Haq had devoted his life to educating children despite repeated setbacks. Sabiha Baloch accused authorities of misleading the family with repeated assurances of his release, deepening the sense of betrayal among relatives.

The discovery of these bodies has added to the growing list of cases in which families allege their loved ones were abducted and later found dead, fuelling demands for accountability and international scrutiny. 

The persistence of such incidents underscores the deep mistrust between Baloch communities and the state, with rights organisations warning that the cycle of disappearances and killings risks further destabilising the province.

ANI