UN human right experts urge Pakistan probe into alleged enforced disappearance, killing of Baloch man

UN human rights experts have expressed grave concern over the alleged enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of Baloch resident Imran Ali, and urged Pakistan to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into his detention and death.

The experts said last week that they were concerned about Ali's killing in Balochistan and called for an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding his detention and death.

Ali was allegedly abducted from his apartment on August 27 last year by around 20 agents of the Counter-Terrorism Department and taken to an undisclosed location.

His family received no official information about his whereabouts or fate for a year. However, people who had been detained with Ali reportedly confirmed after their release that he had been held in custody.

According to a press release issued by the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Ali was reportedly tortured for several days while in detention.

“Any deprivation of liberty followed by the authorities’ refusal to acknowledge the detention or by the concealment of the fate or whereabouts of that person is an enforced disappearance, and it places victims outside the protection of the law, in violation of a peremptory norm of international law,” the experts said.

During a hearing before Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances last month, a police officer reportedly said Ali had been killed in an alleged encounter in May 2026.

Authorities took around a month to identify his body. Officials said they could not preserve Ali's remains and therefore buried him in June 2026.

After the disclosure, Ali's family visited the Civil Hospital in Quetta and identified his body from photographs kept on record.

Ali's body was reportedly brought to the hospital along with six other bodies. According to the experts, none of the bodies were documented or reported by hospital staff or police, and they were buried without proper identification or informing their families.

“Given the pattern of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, there are serious concerns that the other bodies may also belong to victims of enforced disappearances,” the experts said.

The UN experts called for a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into Ali's alleged disappearance and death in custody.

They said the investigation should include independent forensic examinations, proper identification of his body and its dignified return to his family.

“It should establish the cause, manner, and circumstances of Ali’s death, while identifying those responsible, with a view to ensuring accountability,” the experts said.

The experts said Ali's case was not an isolated incident but reflected what they described as a pattern of unlawful detention, including under broad counter-terrorism provisions, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch people.

They also pointed to reports of intensified military and security operations in Balochistan amid allegations of collective punishment.

UN experts have previously raised concerns about the situation in Balochistan, including in March 2025, April 2025 and July 2026. They said they remain in contact with the Pakistani government regarding the concerns.

The experts include members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.  (with inputs from PTI)