Death squads backed by Pak military launch grenade attack on civilians in Balochistan

Quetta, Aug 12 (IANS) Several Baloch human rights organisations on Tuesday severely condemned the heinous grenade attack launched by Pakistan military's death squads at a civilian residence in the Aapsar area of Turbat district in Balochistan.

The explosion on Monday night left two women critically injured and caused significant damage to the property.

"Such acts are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic policy of terror, aimed at silencing voices, instilling fear, and punishing entire communities for demanding their rights. The use of indiscriminate violence against civilians is a war crime under international law," read a statement issued by Paank, the Baloch National Movement's Human Rights Department.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) also called the attack a part of a broader pattern of operations targeting civilian homes in Balochistan, instilling fear among the population and amounting to collective punishment.

Condemning the violent incident and calling it a grave violation of human rights, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) urged the international community for immediate attention and intervention to end such unlawful actions by Pakistani authorities and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Revealing another such brutal incident, the BYC stated that, on Monday evening, a mortar shell, fired by Pakistani forces (Federal Constabulary – FC), landed in a residential area in Tump district of Balochistan, killing one and injuring three children.

Citing eyewitnesses and family members, the rights body mentioned that all students were returning home from a madrassa when the blast occurred. It stated that 12-year-old Mohammad was critically wounded and succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while the other injured children were shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Marking the International Youth Day on Tuesday, BVJ highlighted the unprecedented crisis the youth are currently enduring in Balochistan.

The rights body stated that due to the policies and actions by Pakistani intelligence agencies, the safety and future of youth in the province remains gravely imperiled.

"Thousands have fallen victim to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systematic violence. Many have been compelled to live in self-imposed exile, constantly exposed to risk and insecurity. Even within their own homeland, the right to safety and security remains elusive, as ongoing repression continues to erode their trust, curtail their opportunities, and undermine their inherent dignity," the BVJ stated.

The human rights organisation called upon the global community to urgently and decisively act to safeguard the rights and well-being of Baloch youth, stating that it is imperative to end all human rights violations against them, ensure their fundamental freedoms, and foster an environment where they can live free from fear.

People from Balochistan are currently fighting for their independence from Pakistan. Various human rights organisations of Balochistan have time and again highlighted the repression by Pakistani forces in the province, which includes violent raids on the homes of Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, the 'kill and dump' policy, detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases.

--IANS

scor/as