Baloch teen becomes another victim of extrajudicial killing by Pakistani forces

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee condemned the extrajudicial killing of 17-year-old Ehsan Shah by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps, calling it part of systemic violence in Balochistan. His mother’s emotional plea underscored rising abuses, disappearances, and intimidation faced by Baloch civilians

Quetta: Human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of 17-year-old Ehsan Shah from Balochistan by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC), describing it as part of a “continued pattern of violence, enforced disappearances, and intimidation” against Baloch civilians.

The teenager’s grieving mother issued a powerful and emotional appeal for justice, recounting the events that led to her son’s death on June 3 near the Lak Pass Tunnel in Balochistan. “Why was my son murdered? He had no charges against him. He was innocent and unarmed; his only crime was being Baloch. Why are state forces allowed to kill our youth with impunity?” she said, holding back tears.

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According to her statement, Ehsan had been on his way to Quetta with a friend for Eid shopping when FC personnel stopped their vehicle. Without warning or provocation, Ehsan was shot in the shoulder while still inside the car.

Eyewitnesses later told the family that an FC soldier picked up the wounded boy and said to his commanding officer, “He’s got nothing, but he’s dead now. What should we do?” The family’s search for accountability was met with intimidation.

Ehsan’s mother revealed that when her husband approached Deputy Commissioners and officials to seek legal recourse, he was threatened with losing his job and warned about the safety of their family. Despite holding press conferences and making public appeals, no response came from any State authorities.

“I call on all Baloch families: do not remain silent. Stand up and speak for your sons. We will not be silenced. We will resist,” Ehsan’s mother said, urging others to join the growing chorus for justice. The BYC reaffirmed its solidarity with the family and called on national and international human rights organisations, legal bodies, and independent observers to urgently take notice of the systemic violence and repression in Balochistan.

The killing of Ehsan Shah comes amid a rising number of human rights violations in the province.

According to a recent report by the Human Rights Council of Balochistan, the month of May 2025 alone saw 138 cases of enforced disappearances — 137 male and one female. Of these, 97 people remain missing, 29 were released, and 12 were extrajudicially killed by Pakistani forces.

The province has long been the site of an armed independence struggle. Human rights groups have consistently highlighted a pattern of systemic repression, including violent raids on homes, unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, the ‘kill and dump’ policy, arbitrary arrests under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and trumped-up charges against civilians and Baloch leaders.

The BYC has repeatedly called upon the international community to urgently intervene and address what it calls “a humanitarian and political crisis” in Balochistan.