QUETTA: The human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), PAANK, has released its annual human rights report for 2025, documenting what it describes as widespread and systematic abuses in Balochistan.
According to the report, 225 individuals were killed in extrajudicial actions and 1,355 people were forcibly disappeared in Balochistan during 2025. PAANK states that these figures reflect a pattern of organized state-level repression.
The report says that Pakistani security forces, including the military, intelligence agencies and the Frontier Corps, targeted students, activists and local intellectuals. It claims that drone strikes, helicopter gunship operations and a “kill and dump” policy have become routine. The report further says that laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Maintenance of Public Order (3MPO) ordinance were used to criminalize peaceful civic movements, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
PAANK states that during the first half of 2025, 785 enforced disappearances were recorded, which it links to efforts to suppress peaceful political activities and leadership. Although the number of reported disappearances declined later in the year, the report claims that incidents of extrajudicial killings increased. It further states that 407 individuals who had been forcibly disappeared were later released after being subjected to torture and detention in secret facilities of state, leaving many physically and psychologically affected.
The report highlights attacks on students and young professionals, describing them as part of a broader strategy to undermine Balochistan’s intellectual and political leadership.
Among the incidents documented are an drone strike in Buleda, Kech on October 29 that reportedly killed four young men during a picnic despite claims they had military permission, an aerial bombardment in Zehri, Khuzdar on September 17 that reportedly killed three civilians and injured a child and an attack in the Chiltan mountain area on October 28 in which several teenagers were seriously injured. PAANK states that these incidents represent repeated violations of international human rights law.
The report names several individuals among the 225 reported extrajudicial killings, including Zeeshan Zaheer, who was forcibly disappeared in June and later killed, Usman Maqbool, who was reportedly killed two days after his disappearance and Khalil Ahmed, described as a police officer killed in December.
PAANK also criticizes what it describes as the misuse of legal frameworks to suppress dissent. It claims that several BYC activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah, Bebarg, Beebow and Gulzadi, were detained under the 3MPO ordinance and the Anti-Terrorism Act, with some detentions exceeding the 90-day legal limit under 3MPO. The report further states that 32 activists were placed on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, restricting their movement. It also measures such as blocking national identity cards, suspending SIM cards, restricting travel and freezing bank accounts.
The report argues that despite Balochistan’s vast natural resources and projects such as Reko Diq, Saindak and Gwadar Port, local communities remain marginalized and face repression when demanding basic rights. It also notes that the European Union’s GSP+ monitoring mission in 2025 raised concerns regarding enforced disappearances, freedom of expression, and the misuse of anti-terrorism laws.
In its 15-page report, PAANK calls for an end to enforced disappearances, a halt to extrajudicial killings and aerial operations against civilians, the repeal of what it terms repressive laws, and the release of political prisoners. The organization warns that without international intervention, human rights violations in Balochistan will continue and may set a dangerous precedent globally.
Independent verification of the figures and allegations contained in the report was not immediately available.
