Paank is Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department Urgent Appeal Ongoing Human Rights Violations in Balochistan.
According to local residents, members of a death squad operating under the patronage of former Balochistan Chief Minister and senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, led by Rahim Bux and his brother Zahoor Jamalzai, raided a house in Khuzdar city with several armed men. They violated the sanctity of the home and forcibly abducted Asma Jattak, daughter of Master Inayat Ullah Jattak.
Background of the Perpetrators
Rahim Bux and Zahoor Jamalzai are notorious and brutal killers responsible for the murders of dozens of people in Khuzdar and surrounding areas. They operate a death squad under the protection of Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, who is currently a member of the Balochistan Assembly and a senior leader of the PPP. His younger brother, Mir Naimat Ullah Zehri, is a former senator of Pakistan and an ex-member of the Balochistan Assembly.
Rahim Bux has openly recorded videos boasting about his crimes, including the murder of his first cousin, Wadera Akbar Jamalzai. In one such incident, Rahim Bux and his squad set fire to Akbar Jamalzai’s house, abducted the women inside, and left his dead body behind.
Despite these horrific crimes, Rahim Bux and Zahoor remain free, frequently seen alongside Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and his brother Mir Naimat Ullah Zehri.
Decade-Long Persecution of Asma Jattak
Asma Jattak, originally from Anjeera, District Surab, had been living in Khuzdar city after her family was forcibly displaced in 2014. That year, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri drove the natives of Anjeera from their ancestral land, turning them into internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Balochistan and Sindh. Following this, all homes in Anjeera were bulldozed on his orders.
Asma has long been a target of persecution. In 2014, her fiancé, Abdul Salam, a final-year engineering student at Balochistan Engineering University, Khuzdar, was murdered by the same death squad. This was after a member of the squad attempted to forcibly marry her. When her family refused, they killed Abdul Salam and warned that they would eliminate anyone who dared to marry Asma. For nearly a decade, her family was forced to keep her in hiding, constantly moving to escape the death squads.
Now, after almost ten years of living in fear, Asma has been abducted.
Pattern of Gender-Based Violence
Zahoor Jamalzai, one of the perpetrators, is a habitual harasser and abductor. He has already forcibly abducted and married four women against their will. His crimes remain unchecked due to political protection.
Political Patronage and Human Rights Violations
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by President Asif Ali Zardari, currently holds power in Balochistan and Sindh and is widely violating basic human rights. Rahim Bux and Zahoor Jamalzai continue to commit atrocities with impunity under the patronage of Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, who enjoys political protection within the PPP.
Call for International Intervention
We urge human rights activists, international organisations, and global watchdogs to take immediate notice of this horrific crime and the broader pattern of violence in Khuzdar and Balochistan. The continued impunity of these perpetrators must end, and justice must be served for Asma Jattak, her family, and the many victims of state-backed militias.
