QUETTA: Calling government's claims of releasing missing persons a "lie", the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), an organisation striving for safe recovery of missing persons, staged a protest demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club on Monday.
Women and children whose loved ones are missing took part in the protest.
According to chairman VBMP Nasurallah Baloch, security forces had whisked away 10 family members of Habib Marri –who was killed three months ago- following a raid on his house on March 1 in Saryab Mill area. “The forces violated the sanctity of his home and harassed the women,” he accused, adding that as many as 60 fresh cases of missing person were reported in 2012 in Balochistan alone.
The protesters chanted slogans against the government and its institutes, accusing them of violating human rights in Balochistan.
“On the one hand we are receiving mutilated dead bodies and more people are subjected to enforced disappearances while on the other hand government is making high claims that they have released many missing persons. This is a lie,” he said.
VBMP also alleged that 10 women were listed missing from Balochistan this year.
Sister of Balkh Sher Marri, who was picked up along with ten members of his family from Saryab Mill area of Quetta, said forces also took away three children. “If my brother and other family members are involved in any crime then they should be tried in court. All we want is justice,” she said.
VBMP called upon International humanitarian organisations and United Nations to use their influence and play their role for safe recovery of all Baloch missing persons.
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It is always two way traffic. It is about time that the State should stop making scapegoat out of sardars & nawabs and seriously take up its responsibilites.
The Baloch demands are just. They want to remain in Pakistan and have put up eight demands for fulfillment as a precondition to further meetings. Let us start fullfilling the demands to show good faith. If one or two of the demands take time to fill, I believe the Baloch will see the good intentions and be accomodative.
I started out strongly opposed to the Baloch for their anti-Pakistan sentiments. Now, I am increasingly convinced that the armed struggle is just and fair. Disappearing women and children is shameful. This is sickening. I don't know why children are picked up. What do they intend to do with them? Yet, there is a side of me that tells me maybe it is the work of anti-Pakistan foreign intelligence agencies who want to stir up trouble. If it is indeed the FC, shame on them. Pakistani and Baloch set aside, we are Muslims and this is simply unacceptable.