LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has voiced concern over the discovery of 15 decomposed bodies in Khuzdar district of Balochistan and urged the federal and Balochistan provincial governments to urgently establish the identity of the deceased and their killers.

In letters written to the federal interior minister and the Balochistan chief minister, HRCP noted the bodies were far too decomposed to be recognisable. So far there was no information about who the deceased were and who killed them.

Initial reports suggested that the 15 people had died around a month earlier and parts of their bodies had been eaten by wild animals.

HRCP demanded a thorough probe must be initiated and all efforts made to establish the facts in the case and bring the perpetrators to justice. If necessary, DNA tests should be conducted to identify the deceased, it added.

“Such an investigation is all the more vital in view of the spate of violence, target killings and enforced disappearance and dumping of bodies of missing persons in Balochistan in recent years. HRCP also calls upon the government to facilitate relatives of the missing persons who are keen to learn if the deceased include their dear ones.”

HRCP also urged the federal and provincial governments to find a solution to the violence, lawlessness and killings in Balochistan, and stressed that such a solution must respect due process and human rights and that emphasis should be placed on finding political means to address the challenges.

AWP: The Awami Workers Party (AWP) has expressed its concern over the news of mass graves found in Khuzdar, saying the remains may be of the Baloch missing people.

In a press release, the AWP said three mass graves were found in the area by a shepherd who found multiple human remains scattered in the hilly area.

“The news just confirms the already established fact that the state committed a genocide under its kill-and-dump policy creating an environment similar to the Nazi concentration camp,” according to the statement.

“This occurred in the light of the recently promulgated ‘Pakistani Protection Ordinance’, which legalises enforced disappearances and provides legal protection to the crimes of the security and intelligence agencies.”

The party says it is quite clear that the idea of state-within-a-state where the establishment rules without accountability further alienating Pakistanis.

“The fascist policies, which have been overlooked by the rightist mainstream political parties, have had a very volatile impact on the country and pushes the country onto the brink of losing another provincial unit due to the policies of the state,” it said.

The party will protest on Wednesday (today) in Islamabad and Lahore against this genocide and oppression on the Baloch people.

“The AWP condemns this media blackout of the Balochistan issue. Our policy on the national question is that it cannot be resolved through cosmetic administrative measures which are said to enhance provincial autonomy. The national question is strictly a political one, and the only way forward is through a fundamental rethinking of the state structure and ideology, that is not based on creating a neo-liberal security state,” the statement said.