QUETTA: The home and tribal affairs department of Balochistan Wednesday revealed that 592 mutilated dead bodies have been found in the last three years from different parts of the militancy-hit province of Pakistan.

According to documents obtained by Dawn.com, police and other law enforcers have found 592 bullet-riddled bodies since 2010 to September 2013.

The documents indicate an increase in recovery of mutilated bodies during the current year in different volatile parts of Balochistan province, the least developed of the country.

Most of the dead bodies were found in Quetta, Khuzdar, Kalat and the volatile Mekran belt. “Most of the dead bodies are of Baloch political workers,” the document said, adding that few of the victims belong to other ethnic groups as well.

The provincial home ministry has directed all concerned deputy commissioners and concerned police officials to properly investigate into the recovery of dead bodies.

Besides mutilated dead bodies, the document revealed that 132 cases of missing persons were pending before the Supreme Court and the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED), headed by Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal. Eight new cases of missing persons have been registered with the provincial home and tribal affairs department.

“66 cases of missing persons are pending before Supreme Court and 64 are pending before the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances,” the document said.

The ministry said most of the cases of missing persons were pertaining to Khuzdar, Kalat, Mastung, Panjgoor, Turbat and other troubled parts of Balochistan.

However, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) – a non-profit rights group –claimed that the number of missing persons was more than what was being claimed by the home department.

Nasrullah Baloch, the chairman of VBMP claimed that thousands of Baloch missing persons were picked up from different parts of the province.

Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has already termed recovery of missing persons and an end to recovery of mutilated dead bodies as most important for restoration of peace in the troubled province.