BARKAHAN, BALOCHISTAN: In what has been described as a staged encounter, Pakistani forces allegedly killed three previously forcibly disappeared individuals in the Tang Karir area of Barkahan district on Saturday morning.
According to local sources, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have engaged in a gun battle with “militants” in Tang Karir, resulting in the death of three suspects. Their bodies were later shifted to the Basic Health Unit (BHU) hospital in Rakni. The deceased were identified as Abdul Rehman Buzdar, son of Faiz Muhammad Buzdar; Fareed Buzdar, son of Raheem Buzdar; both residents of Rarra Sham; and Sultan Marri, son of Eidu Marri.
Family members and local residents stated that all three men had been missing for several months and were in the custody of state forces. Their families had repeatedly appealed for their release through various human rights forums.
The CTD claimed that weapons, including two Kalashnikov rifles, a pistol, and two ready-to-use explosives, were recovered from the deceased, and alleged they were affiliated with a banned organization. However, the families of the victims and Baloch political and civil society groups have strongly rejected these claims, terming the incident a fake encounter and calling for accountability.
This incident follows a troubling pattern of extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, where forcibly disappeared persons are increasingly being found dead, often after being presented as militants killed in clashes.
Earlier today, a similar case was reported from Awaran, where the body of another previously disappeared young man was found after he had been summoned to a military camp.
Human rights defenders say these killings point to a disturbing trend. In a recent controversial statement, the Director General of the Pakistan Army’s media wing (ISPR) admitted that “many of those killed in encounters with the army are the same individuals listed as missing.” Critics argue this statement confirms long-standing accusations that the military is executing forcibly disappeared persons and later labeling them as militants.
