QUETTA: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said it was deeply alarmed by the sharp deterioration in security across Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where citizens were increasingly caught between enforced disappearances, targeted killings, and militant attacks.

It said in Balochistan, the alleged abduction of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor, and two other Gwadar University employees in Mastung, while travelling from Gwadar to Quetta, raised serious questions about the state’s ability to secure major highways and protect civilians.

The HRCP said it was equally disturbed by the killing of Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat in Nushki on Saturday and reminded the government that when teachers and academics were abducted or shot dead, the consequences extended far beyond individual tragedies.

In KP, it said that the deadly attacks in Bannu, Bajaur, and Lakki Marwat, including the bombing of a crowded market in Sarai Naurang, pointed to a worsening pattern of militant violence that continued to take lives indiscriminately, including those of civilians, police officers, and security personnel.

“We urge the state to move beyond statements of condemnation and demonstrate that human life and public spaces can still be protected,” the HRCP said, adding that the recovery of the missing university officials, credible investigations into all such attacks, and accountability for perpetrators were immediate and necessary first steps.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2026