Paank, the human rights wing of the Baloch National Movement, has firmly denounced the extrajudicial execution of Rajid Baloch carried out by operatives of a state-supported death squad on May 2, 2025, near Druski River, just a few kilometres away from Awaran city in Balochistan.
A post shared by Paank on X revealed that Rajid Baloch, a resident of Siyakal Malar, was killed while his friend, Naeem, was brutally beaten and subsequently released. The area around the Druski River is located near several military facilities, including an army camp to the east and the significant Choku camp to the north.
Despite the extensive militarisation of the area, the civilian residents live in constant fear, avoiding even basic self-defence measures. There are ongoing reports of armed members, protected by the military, looting property and threatening or murdering civilians who oppose them, as mentioned in the post on X.
Rajid Baloch, who worked as a shopkeeper, was attacked while returning home to Siyakal Malar after a trip from Kolwah to Awaran. His killing is part of a growing trend of murders targeting individuals who had previously disappeared, raising pressing concerns regarding systematic human rights violations in Balochistan, according to the post.
Paank called on Human Rights Watch, and all other international human rights organisations to demand an independent and transparent inquiry into the assassination of Rajid Baloch and to take action against those responsible for it.