Missing persons recovery campaigner ‘goes missing’ from Hyderabad

Punhal Sario was ‘disappeared’ one day before he was to host a conference for missing persons in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A human rights activist who recently led a long march to Karachi for the recovery of missing persons has himself allegedly been subjected to enforced disappearance from Hyderabad.

Punhal Sario, who heads Sindhi Hari Porhiyat Council and led the recently-formed Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, was whisked away late on Thursday from outside the Sindhi Language Authority.

Sario was ‘abducted’ a day before he was to host a conference in Hyderabad for the missing persons.



"Ten to 15 men in police commando uniforms stopped our car outside Sindh Museum. They asked Sario to step out, grabbed him, and pushed him inside a Toyota Vigo," Dr Haresh Kumar, who was driving the car accompanied with Sario, told The Express Tribune.

Javed Soz, head of the non-profit Sindh Community Foundation, said they were together at the cafe but left in separate cars to meet again at the residence of journalist Mahesh Kumar.

According to him, Dr Kumar arrived alone at the journalist's home and informed them that Sario was taken away.



Advocate Ali Palh, who represents Sindh Human Rights Defenders, a confederation formed for the protection of the rights workers and journalists, said police officials were immediately approached to help recover Sario.

He said Hyderabad DIG Khadim Hussain Rind and SSP Amjad Baloch did not respond positively. "Today we called at Punhal Sario’s mobile number. The call connected but no one attended the phone. We told the police about this but they didn't even bother to check the call data to trace Sario’s whereabouts," he added.

On Friday, Sario's wife Sughra lodged a complaint at GOR Police Station after the police allegedly refused to lodge an FIR.