Balochistan [Pakistan] A young woman in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province has died after allegedly being tortured by security forces, human rights activists said this week, sparking widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of military operations in the region.
According to local activists and community sources, the victim, identified as Nazia Shafi, and her mother were taken into custody by Pakistani security personnel in Panjgur, a district in western Balochistan, under unclear circumstances. The two women were reportedly detained without a warrant and subjected to severe physical abuse. Ms. Shafi succumbed to her injuries within hours, while her mother remains in critical condition, activists said.
The Pakistani military has not issued an official statement regarding the allegations. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, did not respond to requests for comment.
A prominent human rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch, who has long documented disappearances and extrajudicial actions in the province, condemned the incident as “state-sponsored violence,” saying that women are increasingly becoming targets of intimidation campaigns.
“Cruelty in Balochistan has now become state policy,” Mr. Baloch wrote on the social media platform X. “Even women here are being targeted in campaigns of violence and fear.”
Mr. Baloch and other advocates have urged international human rights bodies to take notice of what they describe as a growing pattern of enforced disappearances, torture, and killings in the name of national security.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, has long been the center of a separatist insurgency. The region’s ethnic Baloch population has accused the central government and security forces of decades of political marginalization and human rights abuses. Pakistani authorities, however, maintain that military operations are aimed solely at combating militant groups.
The death of Nazia Shafi has reignited anger across Balochistan, with activists demanding accountability and justice for victims of state violence.
“How long will women in Balochistan continue to suffer atrocities under the pretext of national security?” Mr. Baloch asked.
If confirmed, Ms. Shafi’s case would add to a growing list of alleged abuses that rights organizations say highlight the deepening humanitarian crisis in one of Pakistan’s most volatile regions.
