Woman dies after alleged torture by Pakistani forces in Balochistan

BALOCHISTAN: Sammi Deen Baloch, a prominent human rights activist from Balochistan, condemned the chilling episode of alleged state brutality in Pakistan’s province of Balochistan.

A young woman identified as Nazia Shafi reportedly died after being abducted and brutally tortured along with her mother by security forces in Panjgur.

According to local sources, both women were taken away unlawfully, subjected to severe torture, and left in critical condition. Nazia succumbed to her injuries just hours later, triggering outrage and grief across the region.

Taking to the social media platform X, Sammi Deen Baloch described the incident as a gross violation of human rights and moral principles, calling it part of a pattern of state repression that has long gripped the province.

“In Balochistan, cruelty has become a policy tool,” she stated, emphasising that women, in particular, have become the new targets of violence and intimidation by forces operating with absolute impunity.

Systematic abductions, disappearances, and torture have become a grim norm in Balochistan, with no accountability or oversight, she stated.

Victims’ families are often left in despair, denied justice, and silenced through fear. The tragic death of Nazia Shafi has once again highlighted the urgent need for international attention to what activists call a deepening human rights crisis. Sammi Deen Baloch also called on global human rights organisations and women’s rights movements to end their silence on the matter and to amplify the voices of Baloch women facing systemic violence and persecution.

The case of Nazia Shafi and her mother has reignited discussions about the plight of women in conflict zones, where abuse and impunity persist under the guise of security operations. Justice for Nazia would serve as a crucial step toward ending state-led violence against Baloch women and restoring faith in basic human dignity and justice. (ANI)