QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN: The Pakistan Army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), and security sources have claimed that a total of 15 alleged armed men were killed in a series of operations in Kalat, Panjgur and Chagai districts of Balochistan.
The ISPR said security forces killed five armed men in a timely operation near Kalat on the N-25 National Highway, foiling an attempt to disrupt public movement.
In Panjgur, the ISPR claimed that four alleged armed men were killed during an operation in Afiyan Koh in the Parom area and that weapons and other equipment were recovered. Separately, security sources said five more armed men were killed in another operation in the Gwargo area of Panjgur.
Security sources also said six armed men were killed during operations in the Amin Abad and Siah Chang areas of Chagai district.
According to security sources, a total of 11 deaths were reported in the Panjgur and Chagai areas combined.
It is noteworthy that many of the claims made by Pakistani security forces have been rejected by the families of victims and human rights organizations in Balochistan.
Families of victims have consistently alleged that their loved ones were taken away by Pakistani security forces, including FC personnel and CTD officials. In several documented cases, family members claim to have witnessed the detentions firsthand and in some instances even recorded video footage of their loved ones being taken away by personnel in uniform.
Pakistani forces have repeatedly denied these allegations, maintaining that they act within the bounds of law. However, human rights organizations, civil society groups and public advocacy movements have continued to raise serious concerns over the issue, demanding transparency and accountability.
In a number of deeply troubling cases, individuals who had been reported as missing were later found killed in what authorities described as armed encounters. However, families and human rights groups have frequently challenged these accounts, alleging that many such incidents were staged encounters carried out by CTD and other security forces.
