'War crime’: Pakistani forces accused of bombing homes in Balochistan, killing three civilians; four-year-old among injured
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'War crime’: Pakistani forces accused of bombing homes in Balochistan, killing three civilians; four-year-old among injured")
Pakistani forces accused of bombing homes in Balochistan, killing 3 civilians Photograph: (AFP)
An air and drone strike in Balochistan’s Khuzdar killed three civilians and injured five, including a child. Rights groups accuse Pakistan’s military of war crimes, citing systematic attacks and communication blackouts.
At least three civilians, including two women, have been killed in an air and drone strike in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, according to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Five others, among them a four-year-old child, were reported injured.
What happened in Zehri?
The attack took place on 17 September at around 8:00 pm in Dhaak Zehri, Terasani (Qazib), Khuzdar. Local rights groups allege that Pakistani forces targeted a residential home using jet fighters and drones. The victims were identified as Bibi Amina (40), Lal Bibi (41), and Muhammad Hassan (30). Those injured include Sanaullah (45), Ali Akbar, Abdul Nabi (38), Umair Ahmed (4), and Maoula Baksh (65).
Why are locals calling it a war crime?
The BYC said the strike violated international humanitarian law, accusing the Pakistani military of using heavy aerial weapons against civilian populations. Rights groups argue that this pattern of attacks forms part of a broader campaign of “collective punishment” in Balochistan. “This systematic targeting of civilians amounts to a war crime and forms part of the larger Baloch genocide,” the BYC claimed.
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How has the military responded?
Pakistan’s military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reportedly defended the operation by describing those killed as “insurgents.” Activists, however, dismissed this as a routine attempt to cover up civilian casualties.
For months, Zehri and the wider Khuzdar district have been under a complete internet shutdown. The BYC said this deliberate communication blackout prevents the outside world from seeing the scale of the humanitarian crisis. Residents say drones continue to hover overhead, leaving families traumatised and fearful of further attacks. According to local reports, this was at least the third airstrike in Zehri in the past two months. Human rights groups argue that the absence of media access allows atrocities to go unreported, with survivors left voiceless.
