Border guards in Pasabandar, Chabahar, used their patrol boat to ram into a Sukhtbari boat in the waters of Pasabandar, leading to the death of one Baloch Sukhtbar from Gwadar.
According to Kolbarnews, on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, border forces launched an attack on the coastal areas of Pasabandar, including “Khor Bahu” and “Khor Kalani.” During the operation, military forces rammed a Sukhtbari boat with their patrol boat, resulting in the death of Imam Bakhsh Baloch, a 37-year-old man from Gwadar, son of Rasool Bakhsh.
Another Sukhtbar, Lal Muhammad Baloch, who jumped into the water to assist Imam Bakhsh, was arrested after failing to save him, though other Sukhtbars managed to rescue Lal Muhammad.
Imam Bakhsh’s body was recovered from the sea 24 hours later and handed over to his family in Gwadar. In addition, dozens of other Sukhtbars from Gwadar were arrested, and their boats seized.
The arrested Sukhtbars were reportedly transported by border forces to the al-Ghadir camp in Zahedan, after which they were sent to the Taftan border.
Sukhtbari is considered an unconventional and hazardous job that many Baluch people in Baluchistan are forced into due to the lack of suitable and stable employment. Accidents, vehicle rollovers, and direct shootings by military and security forces are some of the dangers that Sukhtbars face. According to reports from Baluch activists, in the first six months of 2024, at least 133 Baluch Sukhtbars have died from shootings by military forces, traffic accidents, and vehicle fires, with another 80 injured in these incidents, including nine children.
