Rights Group Says Three of Five Killed in Panjgur Operation Were Previously Disappeared

A rights group said three of five men Pakistan’s military reported killed in an operation in Balochistan’s Panjgur district had previously been forcibly disappeared.

Pakistan’s military said its forces conducted an “intelligence-based operation” in Panjgur on Aug. 10, killing five people it described as members of Baloch armed groups.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices were recovered during the operation and later destroyed at the site. It added that a clearance operation was subsequently launched in the area.

The military did not identify those killed.

Initial state-media reports citing security sources said the operation took place in the Sarkini and Chedgi areas and that an alleged commander was among those killed.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised the operation, saying Pakistani forces had killed five members of an armed group, including a commander.

Five bodies recovered from Chedgi were later taken to the District Teaching Hospital in Panjgur for identification and legal procedures.

Hospital authorities initially identified two of the bodies as Hafiz Mudassar and Peer Jan, son of Kachkol.

Paank, the human rights department of the Baloch National Movement, later identified a third man as Sohaib Baloch and said all three identified victims had been subjected to enforced disappearance by Pakistani forces before they were killed.

According to Paank, Sohaib Baloch had been missing since Feb. 8, 2023, while Peer Jan had been missing since June 10, 2026.

The identities of the remaining two bodies had not been established at the time of publication.

Paank said it was concerned over what it described as a continuing pattern in Balochistan in which forcibly disappeared people are later found dead and their deaths attributed to security operations or armed encounters.

The rights group called for an “independent, impartial and transparent investigation” into the killings, the identification of all five victims and accountability for those responsible.

It also urged Pakistani authorities to disclose the whereabouts of all missing persons and ensure that detainees are brought before courts and provided due process and fair trials.

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