Civil society announces nationwide campaign against enforced disappearances

Campaign to start after Ashura, will include protests, hunger strikes and lobbying

KARACHI: The Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) and other organisations representing civil society have demanded the government ensure recovery of all missing persons in the province, including Punhal Sariyo, and provide safety and protection to all citizens.

Addressing a joint press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday, Mahnaz Rahman from the Aurat Foundation, Asad Iqbal Butt from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Saeed Baloch from Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and Zulfiqar Shah from Piler announced the launch of a nationwide campaign after Ashura for Sariyo's release.

"We will hold protest demonstrations and press conferences and meet leaders of all the political parties for the release of missing persons in Sindh," the rights activists said.

In recent months, a large number of political and social workers and human rights activists have been allegedly picked up by law enforcement agencies. The missing persons include Sariyo who was struggling for the release of missing persons in Sindh before his disappearance. Despite the passage of one-and-a-half month, there has been no information regarding Sariyo's whereabouts. The Hyderabad police have been denying his arrest, whereas, according to eyewitnesses, he was picked up by personnel of law enforcement agencies in plainclothes in a vehicle bearing a Sindh police number plate.



The speakers claimed that in a similar manner, over 80 political workers and human rights activists were picked up in August. They demanded the federal and Sindh governments ensure the safe recovery of all such persons and produce them in court if they are nominated in any cases.

"We are very concerned about the life of Punhal Sariyo, as he was suffering from various illnesses. We believe that Punhal is a true human rights defender and a social activist who always stood for the poor and marginalised people of Sindh. He worked for the rights of peasants of Sindh," said Shah, adding that the role of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government was disappointing as it failed to address this important issue.

Rahman was of the view that the issue of missing persons has been tarnishing the image of the country globally. She asked the relevant authorities to play their role in this regard. "We are equally disappointed over the performance of different institutions," she said.



The Aurat Foundation representative also appealed to the Sindh High Court chief justice to hear the case of missing persons on a priority basis, as it was an issue pertaining to fundamental human rights.

The civil society organisations announced that they would launch a nationwide campaign for the release of Sariyo and others after Ashura. The campaign would include a series of protest demonstrations, hunger strikes and peaceful protests across Pakistan. The rights activists would meet the broader civil society including bar councils, media and political parties as the issue needed a collective response.

The speakers asserted that the solution of the issue of missing persons should be reached once for all. They were of the view that people accused of any crime should be arrested, produced in courts and tried as per the law but never be picked up like this. They also demanded the approval of the draft law against enforced disappearances, which has been lying with the National Counter-Terrorism Authority since 2014.



The rights activists stressed that no country can protect its interests without granting civic freedoms to its people. They asked the government to ensure fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan according to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Constitution of Pakistan.