United for a cause: Civil society demands recovery of missing activists

Five activists have disappeared this month

KARACHI: Demanding immediate recovery of missing human right activists, civil society members staged protest outside Karachi Press Club on Thursday.

The protest, which was organised by Civil Progress Alliance Pakistan (CPAP), was also attended by Tehrik-e-Niswan head Sheema Kermani, women rights activist Anis Haroon, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan leader Faisal Subzwari among others.

Since the beginning of the year, as many as five activists have gone missing; Waqas Goraya and Asim Saeed disappeared from Lahore on January 4, Ahmed Raza Naseer went missing from Sheikhupura on January 7, Salman Haider vanished from Islamabad on January 6 and CPAP president Samar Abbas went missing from Islamabad on Saturday.



Subzwari remarked that he is a part of the protest to express his solidarity with the friends and families of the missing persons. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure the return of these activists, he said.

The disappeared activists were peaceful and believed in promoting harmony, said Talib Raza of CPAP. This seems like a signal for peaceful activist to stop raising their voice against extremism, bad governance and terrorism, he added. Raza demanded that everyone including CPAP president should be immediately recovered.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2017.