Four Men, Including School Principal, Discovered Dead After Jiwani Military Operation

The bodies of five Baloch men showing signs of torture were recovered from Panwan and nearby Ganz in Jiwani on Saturday. Families and rights groups reported that at least four of these men had been forcibly disappeared months earlier, raising concerns over enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan.

Pakistani military officials, however, claimed that the five men were armed militants killed during an operation. They stated the operation was launched following an attack by the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade on a Pakistan Coast Guards camp in Panwan on Friday.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), activists, journalists, and relatives of the deceased disputed the official account. They pointed out that records of the men’s disappearances and prior family protests existed before the military operation took place.

Four of the bodies identified were Abdul Haq, Peeri son of Assa, Shah Bakhsh son of Umar, and Haider Ali Mohammad. The identity of the fifth individual was not immediately known, prompting further investigation and concern among human rights advocates.

The BYC stated that Peeri and Shah Bakhsh, both residents of Robar, had been forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces from their homes on January 7. Their bodies were recovered between Panwan and Ganz, confirming their prior disappearance.

Haider Ali Mohammad was also missing before his body was found, according to the VBMP. His family had staged a sit-in outside the Gwadar deputy commissioner’s office on August 25, 2025, demanding his safe return and accountability for his disappearance.

Among those identified was Abdul Haq, principal of Memar-e-Nau Academy in Gwadar. Rights groups say he was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces from Zero Point in Uthal on July 25, 2009. He was the younger brother of Mohammad Ramzan Baloch, who was also forcibly disappeared.

Abdul Haq was also the uncle of Ali Haider, a young activist who participated in campaigns and a long march to Islamabad seeking information about his father’s whereabouts. His disappearance and subsequent death highlight the ongoing pattern of enforced disappearances in the region.

Both Abdul Haq’s family and rights organizations claimed he was taken into custody in Gwadar in February and remained missing until his body was recovered from Panwan. His death has raised questions about extrajudicial killings and impunity in Balochistan.

The VBMP expressed deep concern over Abdul Haq’s killing, describing it as an extrajudicial execution. They demanded an impartial, transparent, and immediate investigation into his death to address justice and accountability.

BYC leader Sammi Deen Baloch called Abdul Haq’s mutilated body a tragic episode in the ongoing pattern of enforced disappearances and killings. She emphasized that Abdul Haq was not only an educator but also a victim of the violence inflicted upon Baloch activists and civilians.

Deen Baloch highlighted Abdul Haq’s personal history of waiting for his missing brother, Ramzan Baloch, for 16 years. She pointed out that Abdul Haq’s death underscores the brutal cycle of enforced disappearances and state violence in Balochistan.

Naseem Baloch, chairman of BNM, stated that Abdul Haq was a well-educated individual who had established schools to serve his community. After his first school was allegedly closed by the military, he continued his efforts by opening another academy in Gwadar.

Dr. Sabiha Baloch noted that Abdul Haq’s family had been given false promises of his release for months. She condemned the authorities for withholding information and said his death reflected the failure of justice and the ongoing conflict.

She emphasized that Abdul Haq had taken responsibility for supporting the children of his missing brother, including Ali Haider, who had participated in protests demanding his father’s recovery. His loss is seen as a blow to the community’s struggle for justice.

The killing of Abdul Haq and other missing persons has been described as part of a “kill-and-dump” policy by critics. Norway-based journalist Kiyya Baloch called Abdul Haq a peaceful man whose death exemplified this brutal tactic.

According to Baloch, after every attack, missing persons are killed, dumped, and declared militants, a pattern that has persisted for over a decade. He criticized this approach as ineffective and damaging to efforts for peace and justice in Balochistan.

Recently, Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, chief of the Balochistan National Party, addressed the issue of staged encounters. He referenced the July 2022 Ziarat incident, where nine men were killed, as an example of the military’s pattern of extrajudicial killings.

Mengal explained that the Pakistani military often resorts to dumping bodies of forcibly disappeared individuals after attacks, either to retaliate or create fear. He described this as a deliberate tactic to suppress dissent and silence opposition.

He further stated that the military avoids fighting insurgents directly, instead opting for these violent and secretive operations. Mengal’s remarks underscore the widespread concern over human rights abuses and the impunity enjoyed by security forces in the region.