Sindhi nationalists to protest against 'disappearances'

The Sindhi nationalist parties will organise protests across the province on November 9 to reiterate demand for release of the alleged missing persons and to voice opposition against the extrajudicial killings. The call was given at a meeting, organised by Jeay Sindh Mahaz in Hyderabad on Tuesday, of several nationalist leaders.

JSM's Chairman Riaz Ali Chandio, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz's Dr Niaz Kalani, Sindh United Party's Roshan Ali Buriro, Jeay Sindh Tehreek's Anwar Burdi and Qaumi Awami Tehreek's Altaf Khaskheli, among others, attended. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's Pushpa Kumari and Center for Peace and Civil Society's Jami Chandio were also in attendance.

The conclave shared a list of 22 persons, mostly students and farmers, who have been missing as long as since 2010. They called for safe recovery of all the missing persons and of putting an end to enforced disappearance, asking the authorities to book suspects in FIRs if they have satisfactory evidence of their alleged unlawful activities.

They also rejected the modus operandi of the police force of allegedly killing or injuring suspects in staged encounters. They demanded a judicial inquiry of the killing of Sanghar district's Dr Mahmeer Tunio in a police encounter in Karachi.

The participants also expressed serious reservations against the proposed 27th amendment in the country's constitution, arguing that the province and its people already lost their certain rights through the 26th amendment. They contended that the federal government wanted to further deprive Sindh of its resources besides paving the way for creation of new provinces in the guise of the 27th amendment.

The conclave passed resolutions rejecting the amendment and asking the government to stop implicating the missing nationalist workers in fake cases of possessing explosives and anti state materials. An end to extra judicial killings was also demanded.