A shutter-down strike continues in Khuzdar and Zehri Bazaar today on the call of Baloch Yakjehti Committee and relatives for the recovery of Asma Baloch, a girl who was abducted from police lines by death squad operatives in Khuzdar.
All business centers, including government and private institutions, have been closed. On the other hand, a Sit-In strike has been observing on the main highway in Khuzdar for the last 32 hours. Highways leading from Quetta to Karachi and Sindh have been blocked.
It should be remembered that on Thursday night, death squad members stormed a house from Khuzdar police lines, tortured the family and forcibly kidnapped a girl, regarding whom no information has been received yet.
A sit-in by relatives and local residents on the main highway against the incident has been going on since yesterday, due to which the movement of vehicles has been suspended.
Local sources say that the said armed group is being patronized by former Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri.
As you know, state backed armed groups have been formed across Balochistan like Khuzdar, which are commonly known as death squads. These groups are known for target killings, kidnappings and drug trafficking of political activists and others.
Baloch Human Rights Group “Paank” condemned Khuzdar incident and issued a media statement along with an old video footage showing cruelty of this death squad gang and said that “A chilling incident of abduction has brought the ongoing human rights crisis in Balochistan into sharp focus, raising urgent calls for international intervention.”
Asma Jattak, daughter of Master Inayat Ullah Jattak, was forcibly taken from her home in Khuzdar city by armed men allegedly belonging to a death squad operating under the protection of a prominent political figure.
Local residents report that the perpetrators, identified as Rahim Bux and his brother Zahoor Jamalzai, stormed the Jattak residence and abducted Asma.
These individuals are accused of numerous killings and other violent crimes in the region. Disturbingly, they are allegedly operating with the support of Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a member of the Balochistan Assembly. Zehri’s brother, Mir Naimat Ullah Zehri, is a former senator and ex-member of the Balochistan Assembly.Rahim Bux has reportedly boasted about his crimes in recorded videos, including the murder of his own cousin, Wadera Akbar Jamalzai.
In one instance, Bux and his squad are alleged to have set fire to Akbar Jamalzai’s house, abducted the women inside, and left his body behind. Despite these documented atrocities, Rahim Bux and Zahoor Jamalzai remain free and are frequently seen in the company of Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and his brother.
The abduction of Asma Jattak is the latest chapter in a decade-long saga of persecution against her family. In 2014, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri is accused of forcibly displacing the residents of Anjeera, District Surab, including the Jattak family, turning them into internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Following this displacement, all homes in Anjeera were reportedly bulldozed on Zehri’s orders.Tragically, Asma’s fiancé, Abdul Salam, was murdered in 2014 by the same death squad after they attempted to forcibly marry Asma. Her family has been forced into hiding for nearly a decade, constantly moving to evade the threat posed by these groups.
Zahoor Jamalzai, one of the alleged perpetrators of the abduction, is also accused of forcibly abducting and marrying four other women. His actions, like those of his associates, appear to go unpunished due to alleged political connections.
The PPP, currently in power in both Balochistan and Sindh, is facing serious accusations of widespread human rights violations.
The alleged protection afforded to Rahim Bux and Zahoor Jamalzai by Nawab Sanaullah Zehri underscores the deep-rooted nature of the problem.
This latest incident has sparked outrage and calls for immediate action. Human rights activists and international organizations are being urged to intervene and address the escalating violence in Khuzdar and across Balochistan. The impunity enjoyed by these perpetrators must end, and justice must be served for Asma Jattak and the countless other victims of these alleged state-backed militias.
The international community is being called upon to hold those responsible accountable and ensure the protection of vulnerable communities in the region.
The Baloch Women Forum, an organization active in Balochistan for women’s rights, strongly condemned the Khuzdar incident and said in its statement: ” It is regretting to witness that a 27-year-old Baloch girl, Asma Jatak Baloch, was forcefully detained by the local militias openly and the law enforcement agencies are failed to produce her despite continuos protests and nomination of the culprit.
It stated that “We believe that such tactics further justify the state’s involvement in intensifying such unethical and anti-Baloch policies, ensuring unrest in the Baloch society. The regional situations are worsened at a priority base with policies like enforced disappearances of the Baloch, blackmailing, drug addiction and so forth. Now, it has come to light that even Baloch women are not safe in their houses.
