Baloch rights group seeks probe into Quetta killing as protest continues

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has demanded an investigation into the killing of a man in Quetta that it describes as an extrajudicial killing, as a protest by families of missing persons in the city continued, The Tribune reported.

The man was named as Adeel Baloch. The report, carried by ANI, did not say when he was killed, where in Quetta, who is accused of killing him, or whether a first information report had been registered. It attributed the demand for a probe to the BYC and described the killing as alleged.

The BYC is a Baloch rights group that has organised sit-ins and marches in Balochistan in recent years, mainly over enforced disappearances and killings that its supporters blame on state agencies. The committee's call for an investigation came as relatives of missing persons kept up their protest in Quetta, according to the report. It gave no figure for the number of people taking part and no indication of how long the protest has run.

Families of missing persons have staged repeated sit-ins in Quetta demanding that the authorities disclose the whereabouts of relatives they say were picked up by security agencies and produce them before a court. Under Pakistani law, a person held in custody must be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours.

The report carried no statement from the Balochistan government, Quetta police or the provincial Home Department on the BYC's demand, and it was not clear whether any judicial inquiry had been ordered. Adeel Baloch's age, occupation and home area were not given, and no force or individual was named as responsible.

Rights groups in Balochistan have long complained that killings they describe as extrajudicial are rarely investigated and seldom reach prosecution, a charge the authorities have disputed.

Scores of families in the province have been pressing for information on relatives who went missing after being taken into custody, and their protests have at times drawn counter-demonstrations and a heavy security presence. Skardu Times could not independently confirm the circumstances of Adeel Baloch's killing or the status of any investigation.