ISLAMABAD: At least 12 civilians, including women and children, were reportedly killed in Barkhan district of Balochistan after what local sources described as military bombardment and shelling in the area. According to reports, unidentified armed men had earlier carried out an attack in which 12 Pakistani security personnel were killed. Following the incident, Pakistani forces reportedly launched a large-scale operation in the area.
Local sources and eyewitnesses alleged that during the subsequent operation, civilian areas came under fire, resulting in multiple casualties. At least 12 people were reported killed, and three others seriously injured on Monday, according to a report in The Balochistan Post.
Two children aged just 2 were among those massacred by the Pakistani security forces. Other children, both girls and boys aged 6, 8 and 13 were also among those who fell in the assault.
The deceased were identified by local sources as Ali, 40, son of Sultan Umair; Bibal, 30, daughter of Gulzar; Mir Jan, 2, son of Ali; Somri, 35, daughter of Bhanghan; Balaach, 70, son of Sabzo; Shari, 22; Rahman, 18, son of Balaach; Naikho, 17, daughter of Jamalan; Allah Bakhsh, 6, son of Balaach; Sado, 13, daughter of Balaach; Hapo, 8, daughter of Balaach; and Mahrang, 2, son of Balaach.
The injured were identified as Zar Bibi, 55, daughter of Sher; Hazar Khan, 9, son of Balaach; and Israr, 15, daughter of Balaach, according to local accounts.
Local sources also alleged that bodies of several individuals inside a vehicle were set on fire during the operation. The claim could not be independently verified. Pakistani authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
Meanwhile, in another incident, an 18-year-old student was shot dead at his shop in Buleda, Kech district, in what the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said was a targeted attack carried out by a “state-sponsored death squad”.
“Chakar Baloch, son of Barkat, an 18-year-old student, was extra-judicially killed by a state-sponsored death squad. He was targeted at his own shop in Mehnaz, where armed men affiliated with a state-backed death squad opened fire on him, killing him on the spot,” the group said in a statement.
The BYC said the incident reflected what it described as a deliberate tactic aimed at silencing the Baloch population and spreading fear. “This is the tactic used by the state to silence the Baloch, spread fear, and ensure that everyone is being targeted through collective punishment,” the statement said.
The group further characterised the killing as a “grave violation” of international human rights law, referring to Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life.
According to the BYC, the incident forms part of what it described as a continued pattern of targeted killings and violence in Balochistan.
“This continued pattern of violence in Balochistan is very alarming and getting worse with each passing day,” the statement said, adding that “in this wave of violence, no one is safe.”
The group also called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to press for “independent and transparent investigations” into such incidents.
