Family of victims killed in Baklochistan encounter

Family members of two brothers killed in an alleged “fake encounter” by Pakistani security forces in Pakistan’s Balochistan province have come out with horrific details, claiming that their sons were picked up from their home and shot dead at close range, The Balochistan Post reported.

Muhammad Ismail, 20, and Muhammad Abbas, 17, were killed by Pakistan Army forces in the Shesha Daghr area of ​​Kalat on the night of 7 September.

Earlier, the Pakistan Army’s public relations wing, ISPR, had claimed that two suspected persons were killed during a “clearance operation” following a heavy gunfight.

However, the victims’ families have rejected the ISPR statement and termed the incident a “fake encounter”.

The mother of the victims narrated how the Pakistani army raided her house at 1 am, forcibly took away her two sons and killed them a short distance away.

“They threw grenades at our house and started firing,” he/she said, adding that his/her sons were taken away even after he/she pleaded with them not to do so.

According to the Balochistan Post, Muhammad Ismail reportedly suffered from a medical condition that left him/her partially paralysed without daily medication, while Muhammad Abbas worked long hours in the fields to support his/her family and pay for the treatment of his/her father, who was paralysed.

“I begged them to take my sons to the police station if they had committed any crime,” the mother said. “Instead, they were dragged from my arms and shot dead nearby. Their bodies were dumped in a deserted area.”

The victim’s family said they rushed to the spot after hearing gunfire and found two lifeless bodies riddled with bullets. They say no official has been held accountable for the killings.

However, this detail is in stark contrast to the statement put out by the ISPR, which said that the ‘operation’ in Kalat resulted in the killing of two ‘suspicious individuals’ following reports of suspicious activity in the area, as reported by Balochistan Post.

The incident has raised concerns in Balochistan, where military operations are often viewed with suspicion. Rights groups and media reports have previously documented cases of fake encounters in the region, with the victims often being Baloch missing persons killed following Pakistani military losses in attacks by “pro-independence” armed groups.

Human rights organisations and advocates have also consistently raised concerns about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the region. Victims’ families have long been demanding accountability, transparency and justice in these cases.