by AMIR NAEEM
On 2nd May 2025, in the scorching heat of Turbat, women and children blocked the road at D-Baloch Kech, they demanded, not missing persons or natural resources but the return of missing dead bodies. The dead bodies of three young men (namely Sarbaan, Nabeel, and Zikka) were killed in a clash with Pakistani security forces in Dannuk Kech. The forces took the dead bodies with them. The families continued their resistance, rather than returning the dead bodies of young men, the police, along with other district administration, threatened the families to end the protest.
Balach Baali, brother of Sarbaan, recounted heart-wrenching scenes that unfolded.” When we became aware of the incident, we approached the authorities and requested that they approach the Frontier Corps (FC) to hand over the dead bodies of our brothers. However, we received no assurance from the authorities. On the second day, we, along with the other families, blocked the roads at two points—Jadgal-e-Daan and Kesaak—and continued our sit-in protest.
Later that evening, a Levies Major, along with the SHO of police, arrived with prisoner vans and threatened the families to end the protest. But we insisted that the FC had not listened to us, and we were left with no option but to block the roads. We told them, “Don’t come to us—go and talk to the authorities. Ask them to hand over the bodies so we can bury them according to our customs, in our own time and place.”
That evening, no one came—not the AC, DC, police, nor anyone. However, through the death squads, they continued to threaten the protesting families. They tried to forcibly clear the roads by saying, “The FC convoy is coming, and their cars are approaching.” But the entire night passed, and no one came. The second night passed in the same way.
The civil society, the media, the representatives of all political parties, the Turbat press—none of them came during this time.
On the third evening, we decided to silently end the protest. The next morning, we offered absentee funeral prayers. We assigned symbolic graves to each one and buried their memories.
What unfolded next was inhumane, barbaric, and unethical, The protesting families were shocked and traumatized to find out that their loved ones were buried without proper burial rituals, and even without a shroud (kafan), and that even proper funeral rites were not performed.
The grieving families gathered near Taleemi Chowk Graveyard, to gather more information about their beloved people but once again the the police along with other law enforcement agencies arrived, threatened the families, tried to disperse them however the families exhumed one of the dead bodies later buried him with proper Islamic rites and Baloch customs.
Balach recalls after some days, “we became aware that three new graves had been dug near Taleemi Chowk in Ahsan Shan Graveyard, and people had seen Zikka’s Balochi chaddar lying on one of the graves.
The families gathered at the graveyard to find out more about the new graves.
The first day, we visited the DC and informed him of the situation. We requested permission to take the dead bodies with us, so we could perform the funeral rites according to our traditions and customs. The DC promised us and asked for two days.
After two days, we visited him again, but he wasn’t in his office. We waited for him and even went to his house, but he wasn’t there either. We haven’t seen him since.
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