Rights Group Alleges Two Farmers Extrajudicially Killed in Balochistan

February 23, 2026

A leading human rights organization has alleged that two farmers were extrajudicially killed in Balochistan province, Pakistan, after being subjected to enforced disappearance earlier this month. The report, based on documentation from rights activists and local media accounts, highlights growing concerns about violence against civilians in the restive southwestern region.

The victims identified locally as farmers from Surab district were reportedly missing for days before their bodies were found, prompting condemnations from advocacy groups who say the killings reflect a persistent pattern of state-linked abuses in the area. Police and government authorities in Pakistan have not yet issued detailed comments on these specific allegations.

Allegations and Patterns of Abuse

The rights organization, which monitors civil liberties and security operations in Balochistan, says both farmers were taken into custody by unidentified persons earlier in February and subsequently disappeared. Their bodies were later found with signs indicating possible torture prior to death, the group said. Critics contend that such deaths are part of a wider trend of extrajudicial violence and impunity against local civilians in the province.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, has been marked by long-running conflict and periodic unrest, with human rights bodies reporting cases of enforced disappearances, killings without due process, and torture in recent years. According to a separate human rights report released contemporaneously, multiple cases of disappearances and unlawful killings were documented across Balochistan in January 2026, highlighting a deteriorating human rights environment.

Activists say the situation has created a climate of fear and mistrust among ordinary residents, including farmers, students and workers, who are not involved in militant activity but become targets in the context of heavy security operations. The rights bodies are calling for improved accountability and stronger legal safeguards.

Context: Unrest and Security in Balochistan

Balochistan has for decades been the site of tensions between nationalist movements and the Pakistani state. Local armed groups demand greater autonomy and control over the region’s resources, while the government maintains military operations aimed at counterinsurgency. Critics of the state argue that in the effort to counter militancy, security agencies have sometimes resorted to rough tactics without legal safeguards, leading to allegations of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances.

The rights body Paank, associated with the Baloch National Movement, documented a rise in both disappearances and killings in recent months, noting that families of victims are often left without information, recourse or justice. The group has urged the international community, including the United Nations and non-governmental human rights organizations, to intervene and demand independent investigations into these cases.

Calls for Accountability and International Attention

Human rights advocates are pressing for transparent inquiries into both the killings of the two farmers and similar incidents, arguing that without accountability, local populations will continue to live under a climate of impunity and fear. They have also asked for protective measures for families of victims and civilian communities caught between insurgency and counter-insurgency operations.

The Pakistani authorities have traditionally defended security measures as necessary to combat insurgency and terrorism in the region. However, critics contend that broader reforms are needed to ensure due process and respect for civil liberties, especially in areas not directly affected by violent militancy. No official Pakistani government statement has yet been published specifically addressing the allegations about the two farmers.