ISLAMABAD:
On a drenched carpet outside the National Press Club, three-year-old Qambar sat comfortably on Zerjan Balochi’s lap, swirling his plastic spoon in melted ice-cream. He remains aloof about his surroundings and his future. The smile on his face fades away as he witnesses his mother crying.
For the past ten days, Zerjan has been camping outside the National Press Club Islamabad along with her son and three cousins with framed photographs of Zahid Baloch--- Zerjan’s husband and secretary general of the Balochistan Student Organization (Azaad), who reportedly went missing from the Satellite Town in Quetta three months ago.
Having traveled for hours by public transport, they finally land in the capital to register their protest against the enforced disappearance of Zahid allegedly by security agencies.
At night after the kidnapping, Zerjan received a phone call informing her that her husband was picked up. Since then, she has been struggling to seek justice from the government and the judiciary for her husband.
“My five-year-old son is at home in Quetta with my parents. He cries each time, whenever he sees his father’s pictures,” Zerjan said while talking to The Express Tribune.
Zerjan said their protests in Quetta and Karachi failed to attract government’s support to her case, which brought her to the capital to make an appeal to the Supreme Court and the international community to help her find her missing husband.
Zahid is one of hundreds of Baloch who have allegedly been picked up by the security agencies.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Baloch Human Rights Organisation Chairperson Bibi Gul said that while compiling reports from across the province, it transpired that in almost every month a person disappears, and hundreds of tortured and mutilated bodies were found in the province.
Gul said that for the past four to five years, frequent incidents of operations have led to more people migrating out of the province for a secure life.
“Even schools are not safe. Children are growing up in a terrorised atmosphere. People are affected psychologically as more people are now victims of fear and depression,” she added.
Awami Workers Party General Secretary Shahak Suleymani said that the government has miserably failed to address the missing persons’ issue in Balochistan. He said that while Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke about the issue in 2012, no practical steps have been taken by his government to resolve the issue. Zahid’s cousin Banardi, who was also accompanying Zerjan, said that their trip to the capital has been disappointing.
“I see cars belonging to international aid agency officials zipping by the press club. No one ever stopped to ask why we are here, let alone address our plea,” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2014.
COMMENTS (2)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Urwa: It is an open fact that Balauchi separatists backed by anti-Pakistan elements are responisble for chaos, instablisty, violence and economic weakness to not just Balauchistan but entire Pakistan...Most of the cases regarding the enforced disapperance of Balauchi people are only 'alleged' on security force without any evidence mostly under the orders from foreign backed anti-nationals to gain sympathy and funds across the globe and morever let me remind that Balauchi separatism is illegal in every way unlike Kashmir as it is recognised by UN as disputed and hence Pakistan has every soverign right as a nation to protect its soverignity and territorial unity from enemies as per international law.
Sad :/ why are the security agencies doing? Winning people over? You can't fight people with violence, you can only win with minds. Although I'm not saying her husband didn't have some association to pro-independence for Balochistan movement, but snatching him away like this and leaving her without support and their children without a father is more wrong. This is truly depressing. We can't stand this happening to Kashmiris by the Indians so why we allowing it to happen to the Balochs by us...?