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Four missing men were reportedly killed in what human rights groups are calling a "staged encounter" in Balochistan's Musa Khel district, allegedly orchestrated by Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
The incident has sparked outrage among Baloch activists and human rights organisations, who claim these killings are part of a disturbing pattern of extrajudicial actions targeting Baloch individuals who had previously been forcibly disappeared, The Balochistan Post reported. On November 3, the CTD claimed responsibility for an operation on the national highway near Rarasham, where, according to their report, a joint force comprising CTD personnel, Frontier Corps (FC), and law enforcement agents engaged in a gunbattle with "terrorists" attempting to block the highway. The CTD stated that three suspects were killed, two were arrested, and several weapons were confiscated. The families of three of the deceased identified them as individuals who had been missing for weeks or months prior to the incident. The victims were named as Muhammad Nawaz Buzdar, detained on September 10 in Loralai; Ghulam Buzdar, who was reportedly taken into custody on October 2 at a petrol station in Rarasham; and Jafar Marri, detained around the same time, reported The Balochistan Post. The fourth victim's identity remains unconfirmed. The Baloch Yakjheti Committee condemned the alleged encounter, accusing Pakistani security forces of staging the incident and asserting that it reflects a broader, systematic trend of targeting forcibly disappeared Baloch individuals. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Committee stated, "A disturbing trend of fake encounters by state forces and agencies continues. The Baloch nation has been resisting these heinous, systematic, and targeted killings of forcibly disappeared Baloch individuals, yet this brutal practice remains unchecked." Reports indicate that this incident mirrors a similar occurrence last year, when CTD officials were accused of staging an encounter resulting in the death of a young detainee in Turbat, a case that incited protests, including a long march from Quetta to Islamabad led by Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch, The Balochistan Post reported. Human rights organisations have repeatedly urged Pakistani authorities to investigate these extrajudicial killings and hold those responsible accountable. Despite these calls, incidents of "staged encounters" involving Baloch missing persons persist, fuelling ongoing tensions and calls for justice. (ANI)
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