Balochistan [Pakistan], July 13 (ANI): Leading Baloch human rights group, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) held a candlelight vigil on Saturday night in the memory of Zeeshan Zaheer, who was extrajudicially killed.
Sharing the details in a post on X, the BYC said mentioned that Zeeshan Zaheer was a zonal member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. His father has been a victim of enforced disappearance since 2015.
BYC decried that that the state, instead of ensuring the safe return of Zeeshan’s father, instead returned Zeeshan Zaheer’s body after he was ‘extrajudicially killed’.
The candlelight vigil saw people from all ages gathered to mourn his untimely demise, with candles, and his photographs.
BYC wrote on X, “July 12, 2025- Shaal (Quetta), Balochistan– Today, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) – Shaal Zone held a remembrance candlelight vigil in memory of Zeeshan Zaheer, a dedicated BYC zonal member. Zeeshan’s father has been a victim of enforced disappearance since 2015. Instead of ensuring his father’s safe return, the state returned Zeeshan’s own body — extrajudicially killed.”
https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1944091472334381222
Previously, the BYC had emphasised that Zeeshan’s killing was not an isolated incident but part of a systematic campaign by Pakistani forces to crush political resistance and silence Baloch voices.
The Committee had reiterated its demand for international human rights organisations and the United Nations to intervene and investigate what it terms as “institutionalised war crimes” being committed in Balochistan.
Balochistan has been the focus of persistent human rights concerns for decades.
The region has faced cycles of violence involving separatist movements, heavy military presence, enforced disappearances, and economic marginalisation. These issues have drawn attention from human rights organisations, journalists, and international observers.
On July 8, Amnesty International had condemned the vicious cycle of violence in Balochistan- from extrajudicial killings to abductions.
In a post on X, earlier in July, it said, “Pakistani authorities must stop weaponizing laws to unlawfully detain peaceful Baloch activists and immediately release all activists including Gulzar and Mahrang Baloch – who has been detained for more than three months. Authorities should also urgently carry out independent, transparent and thorough investigations into the allegations of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial executions to bring to justice those suspected of responsibility through fair trials.”
https://x.com/amnestysasia/status/1942522548261994971
Human rights groups have long accused Pakistani authorities of abducting civilians in Balochistan without due process, using enforced disappearances to suppress dissent and intimidate communities in restive areas.
Pakistani authorities routinely deny these allegations, but civil society continues to condemn the security forces’ role in systematic abductions targeting students, political workers, and residents. (ANI)
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