Pak army killed 195, disappeared 629 & tortured 187 Baloch residents in 2022, claims paank report

According to the yearly report unleashed by Paank, the human rights association of National Baloch Movement, the year 2022 was a horrific year for Balochistan as the Pakistan army mercilessly disappeared 629 individuals and extrajudicially killed 195 and tortured 187 people.

The annual report demonstrates Balochistan’s current human rights situation throughout the year with infographics. It claims that the Pakistan army tortured 92 forced disappearances, 15 killings and one person in January 2022.

The report further claims that 95 other enforced disappearances, 42 executions and five torture cases were observed in February.

The Pakistan army’s atrocities didn’t stop as the next month, in March, 62 Baloch individuals disappeared mysteriously, 19 were executed, and six people were tortured to suppress their voices against the violation of human rights. Another 18 torture cases were recorded, and 39 were killed in April, says Paank’s report.

Paank claims that 187 persons who had been forcibly disappeared were freed from Pakistani torture facilities last year.

In May, there were 61 recorded enforced disappearances, five murders, and 22 acts of torture. In June, 11 people were killed, and 26 people were taken, hostage. In July, 16 people died, 28 were tortured, and 46 were forced disappeared.

In August, there were 55 recorded forced disappearances, five murders, and 37 tortures. September saw 30 enforced disappearances, two killings, and 19 torture victims.

38 individuals were taken hostage and vanished, 15 were killed, and 18 were tortured in October. In November, 14 people were tortured, 23 killed, and 36 forcefully disappeared. According to Plank’s yearly report, there were 38 enforced disappearances, two murders, and 19 cases of torture in December 2022.

Paank also claims that 187 persons who had been forcibly disappeared were freed from Pakistani torture facilities last year.

According to the report, the Pakistani army’s Counter-Terrorism Department and Frontier Corps tortured and killed hundreds of Baloch people in various parts of Balochistan and Sindh and subjected women and children to forced disappearances and collective punishment.

According to the research, only the Pakistan army and pro-military organisations have political freedom in Balochistan, where Baloch nationalist parties have been completely banned.

The Pakistani army attempts to fill the void left in Balochistan by the ban on nationalist groups by its followers. Paank claims that the relatives of those who were taken hostage by the army are experiencing political isolation.

Due to the restrictions imposed on nationalist parties, a vacuum has been formed in Balochistan, which the Pakistani army is trying to replenish with its supporters.

According to the report by Paank, the relatives of victims forcibly disappeared by the army suffer from political separateness to compete with the martial force in Balochistan.

Baloch residents’ families have been protesting for the past year to recover their loved ones missing for many years. Several negotiations were conducted between the Pakistani government and Baloch families, but powerless government of Pakistan has failed to fulfil its promises and implement the law.

Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, also said he would try to communicate with a powerful circle about the unstoppable disappearances. His statement clarifies that the Pakistani government has no control; in actuality, the Pakistani army is the centre of power in the country.

As the humanitarian crises in Balochistan deepened, relations between the Pakistani administration and Baloch families worsened, and they had no faith left in the government.