Still hopeful, relatives demonstrate outside Balochistan High Court

Relatives of missing persons organised demonstrations outside the Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Friday.

The rally, held under the aegis of the rights organisation Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VFBMP), emerged from the Quetta Press Club and culminated at the BHC where the protestors staged a sit-in. The protestors, mostly women and children, carried placards, banners and photographs of their missing relatives.

Addressing the protestors, VFBMP chairperson Nasrallah Baloch said that human rights were being violated and alleged that Baloch people, including doctors, lawyers and other professionals, were being picked up by security forces. “The so-called democratic government and independent judiciary have not traced a single missing person in the past two years. There is no sign of law,” he said.

Baloch said that, before his deposition, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken an interest in the issue but since his reinstatement his sincerity also seemed questionable. “Cases were transferred to branch II and then to the judicial commission which proves the CJP’s disinterest,” he claimed.

He said that if proper steps were not taken, the relatives of missing persons would withdraw their cases from the Supreme Court and the high courts. “We will demand the United Nations to use its influence with the Pakistani government and play a role in tracing the missing persons,” he said.

He condemned the Balochistan advocate-general’s statement that merely 100 people were missing in the province. “The government did not form any commission to collect details of the devastating impact of the 2004 military action in Dera Bugti and Kohlu and the human loss suffered in its wake. They cannot estimate the losses of lives and property, so how can they reject the reports prepared by our organisation,” Baloch said, alleging that government functionaries did not allow any humanitarian organisation to carry out a survey in these conflict-affected areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2010.