Turbat’s streets bore witness to another grim chapter in Balochistan’s ongoing human rights saga as the tortured remains of student Imran Taj surfaced on Friday. The 26-year-old, missing since his June 27 abduction en route from Turbat University, was reportedly picked up by Pakistan’s ISI and Frontier Corps, claims the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.
BYC’s condemnation was swift and scathing, noting the nine-month ordeal ended in a mutilated corpse that has left Taj’s loved ones and the Baloch populace reeling. The organization decried the province’s rising tide of enforced vanishings and summary executions, making a impassioned plea to international bodies: recognize Balochistan’s plight and protect its people’s fundamental rights.
Their message resonated with clarity: ‘Our fight is for the dignity and rights of our people, not driven by hate.’ This comes amid broader violence, including a February 25 assault in Kech’s Minaj area where armed intruders bombarded a home with mortars, gunned down six innocents—women and kids among them—and injured three, before incinerating vehicles outside.
The Balochistan Human Rights Council slammed the attack as an unforgivable assault on civilians, rejecting any justification rooted in politics or security. ‘Killing innocents, particularly women and children, shatters core human principles,’ they warned.
These back-to-back horrors amplify long-standing grievances in Balochistan, a resource-rich region marred by separatist insurgency and accusations of military overreach. Human rights advocates are mobilizing globally, pushing for probes and accountability to break the vicious cycle of impunity and retaliation.