Panjgur, Pakistan— A young woman identified as Nazia Shafi has reportedly died after being abducted and brutally tortured by Pakistani security forces in the Panjgur district of Balochistan, according to local reports cited by ANI. Nazia and her mother were allegedly taken away unlawfully and subjected to severe physical abuse before being released in critical condition. Nazia succumbed to her injuries hours later, sparking widespread anger and protests across the province.
Human rights activist Sammi Deen Baloch, a prominent voice for Baloch rights, condemned the incident, calling it a “gross violation of human rights and moral values.” Taking to X, Baloch accused Pakistani authorities of turning systematic oppression into state policy. “In Balochistan, oppression and barbarity have been made a part of state policy. There is no one to ask questions, no accountability,” she wrote.
Baloch urged for an independent and transparent investigation into Nazia’s death and demanded justice for the victims. She also appealed to international human rights and women’s rights organizations to speak out against the increasing violence faced by Baloch women. “It is incumbent upon the international community and movements active for women’s rights to break their silence against these atrocities and raise their voices for justice for women like Nazia Shafi and Mah Jabeen Baloch,” she added.
The incident comes amid escalating violence in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most volatile province. Just days earlier, a drone strike on October 29 in the Chiltan Mountain range near Quetta killed at least nine people. The Pakistani military claimed the attack targeted terrorists, but witnesses told The Balochistan Post that the victims were unarmed civilians gathered for a picnic at the Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park. “There were many civilians there enjoying their holiday when the drone hit,” one eyewitness said.
The growing number of civilian casualties and reports of extrajudicial actions have deepened public mistrust of the Pakistani authorities and drawn attention from international human rights monitors demanding accountability.
