Karachi: Family members of the missing persons observed a token hunger strike in front of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Friday, demanding release of their loved ones. Carrying portraits of their loved ones, the innocent children and wives of many of the missing persons remained there for several hours.
The demonstration and hunger strike was observed under the auspices of Voice of Baloch Missing Persons Committee. About 50 children and women [mainly the family member of abducted Baloch] from different parts of Balochistan participated in the protest.
Speaking at a press conference at the camp, Chairman and Vice Chairman of Voice of Baloch Missing Persons Committee, Nasrullah Baloch and Qadeer Baloch, respectively, and mother of Mir Wadood Raisani said that the people of Balochistan have been suffering from military operations for the last 62 years and genocide of Baloch people continues unstopped.
They said that the people of Balochistan suffered military operations in 1948, 1958, 1962, 1973 and the year 2000 and so far thousands of Baloch people have been killed in bombardment on Baloch population whereas thousands went “missing”. They said that the “missing” people were brutally tortured physically as well as mentally in military torture cells.
They said that about 200,000 people were forced to migrate from Bugti area after 2005 as a result of bombardment while as many as 250,000 people migrated from Kohlo Kahan, Barkhan, to different areas of Sindh and Punjab.
They said that they have prepared a list of 1695 “missing” persons from different cities and towns of Balochistan, and it includes 14 women.
They regretted that the chief justices of Supreme Court of Pakistan and Balochistan High Court have not adopted any practical measures for the recovery of “missing” persons. They pointed out that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had promised that missing persons would reach their homes after Eid but sadly enough not a single person has been released so far. On the contrary, the number of missing persons was on the rise, they said.
Recently two brothers of Shaheed Majeed Baloch, Maqbool Zafar and Javid Baloch have been arrested from killi Ismael in Quetta and there was a raid on the house of Mr Sadiq Raisani, one of the notable lawyers in Balochistan and a member of Baloch Bar. Two Baloch 18 and 20 years old respectively have been arrested by the Pakistani FC from Mand Town in Balochistan on 22/01/2010. According to eye witnesses the victims were on their way to town when two vehicles of FC surrounded them, nicked them from the crowed and drove towards an unknown location. The youth are still missing.
Source: The News, and Balochistan National Newspapers
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