‘Kill and dump’: Baloch journalist gunned down in front of family in Pakistan
Abdul Latif Baloch, a well-known journalist in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, was shot dead inside his home in Mashkay, in the wee hours of Saturday. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a local rights group, confirmed that he was shot by state-backed armed groups at around 3 am, in front of his wife and children, reported news agency ANI.Latif was respected for his fearless coverage of human rights abuses and military operations in Balochistan. His work focused on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the struggle of ordinary Baloch citizens. His death underlines the extreme risk faced by reporters in Pakistan. This incident comes just months after his son, Saif Baloch, and seven other family members were reportedly abducted by security forces and later found dead. Activists describe these patterns of violence as part of Pakistan’s “kill and dump” policy, used to silence dissent and suppress the Baloch identity. Shalee Baloch of the Baloch Women Forum described the killing as part of “systemic violence” against the Baloch people. She urged international organisations and media to intervene, saying silence from the global community is enabling further bloodshed. Human rights groups and press freedom organisations have condemned the assassination and are calling for urgent international pressure on Pakistan with regard to Balochistan. The region has been the site of persistent and grave human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the suppression of dissenting voices.
