In another case of extra-judicial killing, the Pakistani paramilitary forces on 13th August gunned down a Baloch social media activist who had criticised the Pakistani policies in Balochistan.
Baloch student Hayat Baloch who hailed from the Turbat, Balochistan region was gunned down by paramilitary at point-blank range in his hometown. He had gone there to help with the COVID-19 and was planning to sit in for CSS exams. However, Hayat, a Baloch student who was doing this Master’s from Karachi University died while his mother held his dead corpse.
As his parents pleaded with the security forces, Hayat was dragged away and was given a terrible beating and then he was shot eight times from a point-blank range. The photo of Hayat’s mother looking at the sky and his father crying inconsolably has been trending in social media.
This is seen as retaliation after Pakistani paramilitary forces were attacked in Turbat with an IED blast on 13th of August 2020 on the eve Pakistan’s Independence Day.
The immediate response was to go after innocent non-combatant civilians and unfortunately, an educated Baloch youth was marked for revenge.
It is said that Hayat Baloch was not even a sympathizer of the Baloch freedom cause and all he wanted was to further his education, get a good job and help his family.
After his killing, there was a mass protest and the death of Hayat Baloch by the hands of paramilitary was called as a part of the “Pakistan’s state policy”, which regularly kills innocent non-combatants and for decades kept the Baloch youth from getting higher education.
It is estimated that over 40 thousand Baloch people are still missing because of their political views. Balochistan was occupied by Pakistan in 1948 and this region is rich with natural resources. The Sui gas fields are located in Balochistan.
Pakistan has literally pledged Balochistan to China under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement. China has rights to practically do anything in the region and has already uprooted tens of thousands of Baloch people from their lands and the dirty work is carried out by the Pakistan military along with no-state Islamic terror organisations.
There are more stories similar to that of Hayat. Baloch people have accused Pakistan of running rape camps were female members of separatists are kept as a bargaining chip so that the men will surrender which often means extensive torture and then death.