Rally demand release of thousands of Baloch missing persons

ISLAMABAD: In order to express their solidarity, the relatives of Baloch missing persons held a protest rally on Saturday against detention and disappearance,killings of thousands of Baloch by the security forces and demanded the immediate release of thousands of Baloch activists The rally was started from National Press Club and culminated in-front of parliament house.Dozens of political activists, students also took part in the rally. It was organized by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, a non-partisan organization that has been struggling for more than 2 years to call attention to the disappearances and kidnappings as well as gruesome target killings of Baloch.

The protestors were carrying pictures of disappeared people and chanted slogans against state terrorism, the unaccountable security agencies and the lack of political will of elected representatives. A large number of women and children also participated in the rally, the majority of whom are mothers and sisters of disappeared activists. Speaking at the occasion, VBMP chairperson Nasrullah Baloch said that time and again political leaders had acknowledged the historical injustices that have been meted out to the Baloch people and made promises to redress these injustices.

But on each such occasion state repression has become more acute and alienated the Baloch people. He said that over the past six months a new trend has been established whereby kidnapped Baloch are being ’returned’ to their loved ones with their bodies desecrated beyond recognition. Nasrullah Baloch warned that such gruesome acts cannot help in establish peace in Balochistan. Farzana Bibi - who is the sister of missing Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-AZAD) senior central comittee member Zakir Majeed - noted that state policy on Balochistan is made by the military establishment, and lamented that the elected parliament is helpless in putting an end to state repression. She said that if the situation in Balochistan continues to deteriorate then the thousands of families whose loved ones have been abducted will be forced to call the attention of the international community to the abuses of the Pakistani state.

Others who were present on the occasion to express solidarity with the VBMP were Alia Amirali of the National Students Federation, Waleed Babbar of the JKPNP , Nisar Shah of the Labour Party Pakistan and Aasim Sajjad of the Worker’s Party Pakistan (WPP).The Ministers,Senators and high profile personalities of Balochistan did'nt participate in the rally.

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