Missing persons : Protest march reaches Kalat on day 8

Relatives of the missing persons have reached the Anjira area of Kalat district on Sunday—eight days after a long march that was launched by the Voice For Baloch Missing Persons (VFBMP) to press authorities for their recovery.  Local people in different towns welcomed members of the 20 families, including eight women and children, participating in the march.  “There are relatives of missing persons from almost every district. They support us and express solidarity with us when we get there,” said Mama Abdul Qadir Reki who is leading the protest. “We are carrying out this march not only for my son who was brutally murdered in illegal custody but for hundreds of other Baloch people who have been missing for years,” he stressed.  Reki alleged that agencies had raided houses in Mastang and Kalat districts to arrest the people who had expressed solidarity with the relatives of the missing persons. According to VFBMP, hundreds of people have gone missing for years and the law enforcers are reluctant to register an FIR despite the Supreme Court orders.


Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th,2013.