In 2022, Pak army killed 195, forcibly disappeared 629 people in Balochistan, says Paank Annual Report 2022

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 12 (ANI): The year 2022 was a dreadful year for Balochistan as Pakistan army, forcibly disappeared 629, extrajudicially killed 195 and tortured 187 people, according to the annual report released by Paank, the human rights organization of the Baloch National Movement.

The report highlights the human rights situation throughout the year with infographics. According to this, in January 2022, there were 92 forced disappearances, 15 murders and one person was tortured by the Pakistan army. 95 enforced disappearances, 42 murders and 5 tortures cases were reported in February. In March, 62 people went into forced disappearance, 19 were killed and 6 people were tortured.50 enforced disappearances, 39 murders and 18 tortures were reported in April, added the report.

According to Paank, 187 forcibly disappeared people were released from the torture cells of the Pakistani army last year. 61 enforced disappearances, 5 murders and 22 tortures were reported in May. In June, 26 people forcibly disappeared, and 11 people were murdered. In July, 46 people forcibly disappeared, 16 were killed, and 28 were tortured. 55 forced disappearances, 5 murders and 37 tortures were reported in August. In September, 30 forced disappearances, 02 murders and 19 people were tortured.

In October, 38 people forcibly disappeared, 15 were killed, and 18 were tortured. In November, 36 people forcibly disappeared, 23 were killed, and 14 were tortured.38 enforced disappearances,2 murders and 19 people were tortured in December 2022, said the annual report of Paank.

The report said that the year 2022 was full of human tragedy in Balochistan with mass punishment, forced disappearances, murders, massacres and violence.
Counter-Terrorism Department and Frontier Corps under the Pakistan army subjected hundreds of Balochs including women and children to enforced disappearance, collective punishment, killing in fake encounters and torture in various areas in Balochistan and Sindh, added the report.

The report states that a complete ban has been imposed on Baloch nationalist parties in Balochistan, and only the Pakistan army and pro-military groups have political freedom. Due to bans on nationalist parties, a vacuum has been created in Balochistan, which the Pakistani army tries to fill with its supporters. According to Paank, the families of the victims of forced disappearance by the army are suffering from political isolation to compete with the military force in Balochistan.

Baloch families have been protesting for the recovery of their loved ones for many years. There have been several negotiations between the government and the families, but the powerless government of Pakistan has failed to fulfill its promises and enforce the law. Even the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif said, ‘I will talk to the powerful circles about the enforced disappearances. This makes it clear that the so-called democratic governments of Pakistan do not have the power, but the centre of power is the Pakistani army, the report stated.

Because of this, the negotiations between the government and the families became fruitless and the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan deepened. Meanwhile, the Balochistan government is planning to set up a new commission to trace missing persons, reported New Pakistan, adding that the Commission, if formed, would be the third government body in Pakistan to be given the task. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, formed by the Supreme Court, and the commission set up by the Islamabad High Court, are already looking into the matter, according to the report.

The government instead of forming various commissions and committees should enforce steps to hold accountable the state element responsible for the enforced disappearances, according to a Dawn report quoted by New Pakistan.
According to New Pakistan, the Pakistani state has the tendency to act like an ostrich, instead of dealing with reality, it prefers to hide its head in the sand by simply setting up another commission. The people of Pakistan, including those who forcibly disappeared, deserve more than simply another commission, it said.

Pakistan’s Missing Persons Commission recently presented a report to the Pakistan Supreme Court regarding the number of prisoners in detention centres. In the report, the Commission said that 974 people declared ‘missing’ were in detention centres while 616 remained in prisons, The Express Tribune reported.