Balochistan unrest: Teacher's killing by 'Pak-backed death squads' sparks outrage

The alleged torture and killing of a teacher in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province triggered protests by his family members and local residents, who warned that a key highway would be blockaded if authorities failed to take action.

The protesters accused Pakistani forces of shielding those allegedly responsible for the death of Parvez Mazar, an Arabic teacher at Government High School Babbar Shor in Pasni, a coastal town in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, The Balochistan Post reported.

According to Mazar’s relatives, he was "taken away" in front of his family on Tuesday and was found dead the following day. They claimed that members of a state-backed armed group, described as a “death squad,” took him to a private torture facility, where he was detained and killed.

Protesters, including Mazar’s children, gathered outside the Pasni Press Club, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for his death. They demanded accountability and justice for the deceased teacher's family.

The demonstrators warned that failure to address their demands would prompt them to stage a sit-in at Pasni Zero Point and block the Makran Coastal Highway, a key route connecting Gwadar with Karachi in Sindh province, Pakistan’s largest city and the country's financial and commercial hub. They demanded that state institutions take action against armed groups accused of abducting, torturing and killing civilians while allegedly operating under the protection of state agencies.

What are Balochistan's 'death squads'?

Baloch rights organisations and activists use the term “death squads” to describe armed groups they allege receive support or protection from Pakistani state institutions. These groups have been accused of targeting civilians, political activists and human rights defenders in Balochistan, a province long affected by an insurgency and a security crackdown.