Balochistan: Protests Continue Against Enforced Disappearances

The relatives of enforced-disappeared Baloch activists continued their protest even on the holy Day of Eid and took out a protest rally for the safe recovery of their loved ones in Quetta city. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, an organisation striving for safe release of abducted Baloch, had given the call for protest rally. The rally passed from different streets in Quetta before holding a demonstration outside the Press Club. A large number of women and children took part in rally; they were carrying the pictures of their enforced-disappeared loved ones. Mohammad Qazim a journalist from Quetta quoted eight year old Nazia as saying, “Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid at their homes but ‘come and see me!’ I have not coloured my hand with Hinna like other children and neither am I wearing new clothes. Because My brother Zafarullah is missing from past two and half years and I do not know about his condition.” Baloch political parties and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons say that thousands of Baloch have been enforced-disappeared by Pakistan’s security agencies since 2000 after ex Pakistani dictator Musharraf declared war in Balochistan and the first phase of the current Baloch struggle started. Abdul Qadeer Baloch, the vice chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, told media that, “Since 2000 at least 14,400 Baloch have been forcefully disappeared by Pakistani security agencies. Five hundred and fifty people among them have been killed in custody and dumped away whereas around four hundred people have been target killed. Nowadays they do not arrest but directly target and kill people.” It must be noted that Abdul Qadeer Baloch’s son Jalil Reki was also abducted and later his mutilated and tortured body was found dumped.  http://www.unpo.org/article/15060