Enforced disappearances: Balochistan CM declares helplessness against agencies

Says it would be a landmark achievement if the defence minister meets the court’s December 2 deadline.

KARACHI:

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch on Saturday counted his party’s secretary general among other Baloch missing persons held in ‘illegal confinement’ of agencies.

Dr Malik was addressing a press conference after signing an agreement with London College of Management and Information Technology at Balochistan House for providing free scholarship to students from Balochistan.Recognising that the issue of missing persons is very complicated, he said it would be a landmark achievement if the defence minister meets the court’s December 2 deadline to release these persons.

“These Baloch who have gone missing are our kith and kin. How can we ignore their families? I personally monitored the long march and provided security to the participants. I did what was in my domain,” he said. “However, releasing these people from the captivity of agencies is beyond my control.”



He said one of the participants of the long march for Baloch missing persons, Farzana Majeed, was the daughter of Abdul Majeed, the secretary general of the National Party who has also gone missing.

Dr Malik said the provincial government was also considering organising an all parties conference (APC) on Balochistan and its date will be fixed with the consultation with various stakeholders.

He accused the outgoing PPP government for doing nothing for Balochistan. “We are now monitoring every activity in the province and this has decreased the crime rate in Quetta and its adjoining areas,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1^st, 2013.