Quetta, January 15:
A female teacher was shot dead on Thursday outside Allahabad Girls High School in the Sibi area of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, highlighting growing concerns over violence against women amid an alarming rise in human rights abuses in the region.
According to local media reports quoting police officials, the attack took place outside the school premises when unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire at close range. The victim was shot in the head and rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries. The attackers fled the scene immediately after the incident.
The deceased teacher reportedly belonged to a prominent tribal family in Sibi. She was married to Malik Faheem Bangulzai and was closely related to noted tribal leader Sardar Noor Ahmed Bangulzai, according to The Express Tribune. Police have launched an investigation, though no arrests had been reported till the filing of this report.
The killing comes amid mounting concern over the worsening security and human rights situation in Balochistan, particularly involving women. In recent weeks, multiple reports have emerged alleging enforced disappearances of Baloch women by Pakistani security forces.
Earlier, The Balochistan Post reported that another Baloch woman, Fatima, wife of Noroz Islam and a resident of Panjgur district, was allegedly detained from her home in Hub Chowki and taken to an undisclosed location. Authorities have not issued any official statement regarding her detention or whereabouts. Family members said the incident has caused severe distress, as her husband has reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance on three previous occasions.
On January 10, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a prominent human rights body, stated that at least 12 women—including minors and pregnant women—were forcibly disappeared in 2025 alone. In its report titled “Two Lives at Risk: Enforced Disappearance of a Pregnant Woman in Balochistan,” the BYC highlighted the case of Hani Baloch, an eight-month pregnant woman who, along with three family members, was allegedly abducted from Kech district in December 2025.
The rights body termed such incidents grave violations of international human rights law and urged the United Nations and global community to pressure Pakistan to disclose the whereabouts of the missing women and ensure accountability for those responsible.
