UK Member of Parliament (MP) John McDonnell has voiced concerns about the recent human rights violations by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, including the abductions of Baloch women besides the reported use of drones in internal security operations. Raising the matter recently in the UK House of Commons, McDonnell submitted parliamentary questions and tabled an Early Day Motion for the UK government to respond. The Balochistan Post reported that the motion draws attention to the drone strike in Khuzdar’s Zehri on October 5, which claimed the lives of six people, including four children.
It also highlighted the enforced disappearance of Mahjabeen Baloch, a specially-abled student who has been missing since May 29 and the abduction of the teenage girl Nasreena Baloch on November 22. Furthermore, concerns have been raised over punishment practices, particularly the arrest of five Baloch women by the Pakistani security forces on November 17.
Earlier in November, a leading human rights organisation drew attention to a serious humanitarian crisis in Balochistan, warning of a surge in systematic oppression and violence perpetrated by the Pakistani authorities. In its report, Baloch Yakjehti Committee documented 168 victims of enforced disappearances during September and October, of whom 12 victims were released, 17 were killed in custody, and 140 remain missing.
