More than 800 bodies have been found in different parts of the troubled Balochistan province of southwestern Pakistan in the last three and half years, a media report said.
According to a report in ‘Dawn’ newspaper, the bodies were found mainly in Quetta, Khuzdar and Makran belt.
The report quoting sources in the Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Department said that 466 victims were identified as ethnic Baloch, 123 as Pashtuns, and 107 from other ethnicities and 107 bodies remained unidentified.
The report which is sure to stir up civil and human rights activists said that of the 466 Baloch killed in the province, most were political workers while the remaining were killed in incidents of targeted killings, tribal disputes, domestic violence etc.
“This is an alarming situation,” veteran Baloch nationalist leader, Hayee Baloch said.
He insisted that Baloch political workers were still being picked up from various parts of the province to suppress their voice.
The mineral rich province has been hit hard by insurgency by separatists and militants in the last few years while sectarian violence has also claimed many lives mostly of ethnic Hazara Shia muslims.
According to a rough estimate thousands have been killed in bomb attacks, targeted killings and other violence in different parts of the province.
The recovery of mutilated bodies had started in 2009 and since than dead bodies have been recovered at regular intervals from different parts of the province, the report said.
Baloch said the ruling governments had failed to deal with the grievances of the Baloch people.
According to details most of the recovered dead bodies were buried by the Edhi trust foundation and apparently the administration has also tried to ensure the recovery of such bodies is not publicised much.
The report said that militants had also intensified their attacks against vital national installations in the province with gas installations hit 65 times and carried over 100 bomb attacks.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has already expressed concerned voice over the increasing number of dead bodies being found in the province.
Shamsul Mulk Mandokhail, an activist of HRCP Balochistan Chapter said the government needed to probe into these deaths.
In Balochistan, both state and non-state actors are being accused of severe human rights violations.