A journalist belonging to the Baloch community was shot dead in the early hours of Saturday in conflict-ridden Awaran district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The journalist named Abdul Latif, who worked with Daily Intikhab and Aaj News, was a known and respected voice among the people of Balochistan and revered for his work. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee said in a statement that Latif was killed before his wife and children.
Baloch local news media outlets and Baloch rights groups said that the attackers were part of a Pakistan Army-linked militia operating in the region. They also said that Latif earned the ire of the state because of his reporting and documentation of disappearances, military excesses and civil resistance in Balochistan.
Pakistan’s security forces are battling a growing insurgency in Balochistan, an impoverished province that borders Afghanistan and Iran.
Rights groups say the protests and demands for better life has been countered with a severe crackdown that has swept up innocent people.
A dozen UN experts called on Pakistan last month to immediately release Baloch rights advocates, including Mahrang Baloch and to end the repression of their peaceful protests.
For two decades, members of the Baloch minority have denounced extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and arbitrary arrests in Balochistan — Pakistan’s most resource-rich province, where 70 percent of inhabitants are poor.
Pakistani authorities say the accusations are unfounded.
Insurgents in Balochistan accuse outsiders of plundering the province’s natural resources and launched a dramatic train siege in March, during which officials said about 60 people were killed.
Latif’s killing is being seen as part of Pakistan’s alleged ‘kill and dump’ campaign targeting journalists, activists and intellectuals in the troubled province.