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A ground report from 2015 by NewsX sheds light on mass graves in Balochistan and reinforcing allegations of human rights abuses by the Pakistani army and intelligence agencies. The report, which includes video footage, reveals a graveyard in Quetta where victims of enforced disappearances were allegedly buried after being killed by Pakistani forces.
#Balochistan | NewsX Ground Report from 2015 when we showed you the mass graves of balochis, a proof of Pakistan army’s torture.#BalochistanMassGraves #FreeBalochistan #ISI #PakistanArmyAtrocities pic.twitter.com/ndrQbDojA2
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Eyewitness Testimony from the Ground
A girl in the video, standing at the site, describes the harrowing reality:
“I am in Quetta, Balochistan. This is the graveyard of the martyrs of Balochistan. What you are seeing is the grave of Khair Bakhsh Marri. The other graves you see belong to the martyrs of Balochistan who were taken by Pakistani agencies, killed, and buried here. Others are buried in their native places like Mastung, Maj, Kala, Turbat, and Dera Bugti. They were martyred by the ISI terrorists. To hide their oppression, Pakistan is blaming others, claiming that Balochis are fighting under foreign influence, but we are raising our voices ourselves. We are fighting while living in our own land. Everyone in Balochistan hates Pakistan. We will give our lives for the freedom of our country. From the day the oppressive Pakistani state forcibly occupied Balochistan, we have been fighting for our freedom. We have given countless sacrifices and will continue to do so. Pakistan commits such heinous acts that they even desecrate the graves of our martyrs. They have even set our martyrs’ graves on fire.”
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Enforced Disappearances and the Kill-and-Dump Policy of Pakistan in Balochistan
Balochistan has been plagued by enforced disappearances since 2007, when a separatist insurgency gained momentum. A military-led operation launched in 2005 aimed to suppress the Baloch nationalist movement.
According to Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Human Rights, at least 936 bodies have been recovered in Balochistan since 2011, most of them dumped in Quetta, Qalat, Khuzdar, and Makran—areas where the insurgency is strongest. Among the most notorious cases is that of Jalil Reki, a political activist abducted from Quetta in 2009. His body was found two years later near the Iranian border, over 1,100 km away.
The Pakistani intelligence agencies, frequently accused of enforced disappearances, have been implicated by families of the missing. These families suspect that their loved ones were killed in custody and their bodies dumped in remote locations to cover up the crimes.
International Outcry and Human Rights Violations in Balochistan
Independent investigations into these disappearances are virtually impossible, as international organizations are denied access to affected areas under the guise of “security concerns.” Critics argue that the restrictions serve to shield state institutions from scrutiny rather than protect citizens.
The Voice of Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP) and other human rights groups estimate that since 2017, around 18,000 people have disappeared in Balochistan. Thousands have been illegally arrested without charges, legal assistance, or disclosure of their whereabouts. Most of them have never appeared before a court. Even official sources acknowledge that at least 1,000 people have gone missing in the past six years.
According to Amnesty International, nearly 1,200 bodies have been recovered along roadsides, many of them linked to enforced disappearances. The organization has urged Pakistan to immediately end the practice, but the government has largely ignored such calls. The tactic, once confined to Balochistan, has now become a national tool for silencing activists, journalists, and political opponents across Pakistan.
A Pattern of Suppression Across Pakistan
The practice of enforced disappearances is not limited to Balochistan. Defence of Human Rights, an NGO advocating for missing persons, reports that over 5,000 cases remain unresolved across Pakistan, particularly in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh.
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has criticized Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, established in 2011 under international pressure, for failing to make significant progress. According to ICJ, the practice has expanded beyond conflict zones and is now a common tool for suppressing dissent nationwide.
An Amnesty International report states that targeted individuals include members of the Baloch, Sindhi, and Pashtun ethnic groups, the Shia community, human rights defenders, political activists, and suspected members of armed groups. In many cases, individuals are openly taken into custody by police or intelligence agencies, yet authorities refuse to disclose their whereabouts to families. Some victims are eventually released, while others remain in arbitrary detention or disappear entirely. Many suffer torture or die in captivity.
The Global Call for Justice
Despite international condemnation, Pakistan’s government has shown little willingness to address the issue of enforced disappearances. Human rights organizations continue to demand accountability, but the cycle of abductions, killings, and mass graves persists, leaving families in anguish and an entire region in fear.
Also Read: The Baloch Atrocities: Mass Graves, Enforced Disappearances, And Assassinations Reach Canada
