Barkahan, Balochistan: The families of four Baloch fighters killed in a clash with Pakistani forces in Barkahan district have submitted a petition to the local magistrate after authorities refused to hand over the bodies, even five days after the incident.
According to sources, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and local administration have declined to release the bodies of the deceased to their families. Frustrated by the ongoing refusal, the families submitted a formal application to the magistrate on Wednesday, urging that the bodies be returned in accordance with both legal and traditional norms so that proper burial rites could be performed.
The deceased Mustafa Noor (Tasp, Panjgur), Samiullah (Malai Bazar, Turbat), Rasaan Qadir (Labach Dansar, Awaran), and Shahzaib (Goni Greshag) were killed on June 6 in a clash with the Pakistani military and allied death squads in the Rakhni area of Barkahan. Their bodies were later transferred to Civil Hospital Quetta (Shal).
Legal experts and human rights advocates argue that the state is morally and legally obligated to identify the deceased and return their remains to next of kin. However, in recent years, the Pakistani military has increasingly withheld the bodies of Baloch fighters, raising concerns of a broader policy aimed at humiliating families and suppressing the Baloch national movement.
There have also been reported cases of desecration of the graves of prominent Baloch figures such as Shaheed Ghulam Mohammad and Shaheed Bank Kareema Baloch. Authorities have allegedly imposed unofficial restrictions on visiting and maintaining the graves of Baloch martyrs, adding to the community’s sense of injustice.
The Pakistani military’s fear of the growing public support for the Baloch national movement is said to be one reason behind the state’s refusal to allow dignified burials. Martyrs are often buried with national honors, making their graves symbols of resistance against what many in Balochistan regard as military occupation.
This is not the first time that the bodies of Baloch martyrs have been withheld from their families. Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned this practice, calling it a blatant violation of fundamental human rights.
