Family members of forced disappered Baloch start long march to Islamabad

Occupied Balochistan QUETTA - Over two dozens relatives of various Baloch missing persons started a long march from the provincial capital to Islamabad to press the government for an early recovery missing people.

The group of relatives led by Chairman Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) Nasrullah Baloch, a Balochistan based organisation working for the recovery of missing persons, is planned to reach Islamabad on Monday where they would observe hunger strike, organise protest demonstrations and meet officials of human rights organisations.

Talking to The Nation, Nasrullah Baloch said they had organised hunger strike camps, took out rallies and staged demonstrations across the province to draw the attention of govt and humanitarian organisations to the serious issue of missing persons but the federal government failed to heed the demand.

“While announcing the Balochistan Package, the prime minister had himself promised to release the missing persons. But only a few people have been released so far,” he said and claimed that the number of Baloch missing persons was in thousands.

He said they would organise a three-day hunger strike camp outside the Supreme Court building and stage a demonstration in front of Prime Minister’s House while a memorandum would also be handed over to the United Nations office, requesting to constitute a commission to investigate the issue.

“We will also ask the UN to set up a commission to assist Baloch internally displaced persons (IDPs) on the pattern of Afghan refugees,” he added.

Nasrullah claimed that after the announcement of Balochistan Package, the incidents of political workers’ arrest and harassing the relatives of missing persons had increased. He said the missing persons were one of the main issues of Balochistan, but unfortunately, the government was not taking it seriously, which had multiplied the sufferings their relatives.

He demanded the chief justice, the UN and other humanitarian organisations for playing their role for finding out a solution of the problem.