Pakistan plans Guantanamo like centres in Balochistan: Report
- In Reports
- 12:20 PM, Jul 20, 2024
- Myind Staff
The Pakistani Army is reportedly planning to establish internment centres in Balochistan, similar to those previously set up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). These centres have drawn comparisons to the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison complex and covert 'black sites' in Afghanistan, according to The Balochistan Post. Critics warn that these facilities, overseen by non-civilian personnel and restricting family and legal access, could institutionalise enforced disappearances in the region.
Former senator Farhatullah Babar expressed his concern over these developments, stating on X, "Deeply concerned over reports of setting up internment centres in Balochistan. These opaque centres run by non-civilians arbitrarily without allowing access to family/legal aid in merged districts of KP are Guantanamo Bay prisons and used to formalise enforced disappearances."
In KP, similar centres were established under the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation of 2011, retroactively applied to 2008. These regulations granted security forces extensive powers to arrest and detain individuals indefinitely and authorised the formation of internment centres.
In 2019, the Peshawar High Court ruled these KP centres unconstitutional, citing indefinite detention without trial as a violation of fundamental rights and due process. Despite this ruling, reports indicate these facilities persist in KP and might now be established in Balochistan. Local rights groups report a proliferation of such 'torture' centres inside military cantonments in Balochistan, though neither the Pakistan Army nor the government publicly acknowledges their existence.
Baloch rights organisations describe the centres as sites of disappearance, torture, and extrajudicial interrogation. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) claims over 45,000 Baloch individuals have vanished, attributing these disappearances to Pakistani forces. The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has noted the high number of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, with Pakistani authorities typically denying or not addressing these allegations.
The proposed formalisation of these centres is seen as an attempt to legitimise enforced disappearances under the guise of national security and counter-terrorism. Critics argue that creating these Guantanamo-like centres will lead to severe human rights violations, further destabilising the region. As of now, the Pakistani Army and government have not publicly responded to these concerns.
Image source: Reuters
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