Balochistan: protest demonstration and rally against enforced-disappearances

Quetta : Voice for Baloch Missing Persons organised a protest rally on Eid day against enforced-disappearances in Balochistan. The rally set off from the camp of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons outside Quetta Press Club and passed from different streets in the city before gathering at Press Club. A large number of Baloch women and children also participated in protest rally and demonstration. The protester demanded the immediate release of all abducted Baloch and an end to under-custody killings of Baloch political prisoners. Many relatives of abducted Baloch joined the rally to record their protest; among them were sister of Zakir Majeed Baloch, a student leader abducted from Mastung in June, 2009. Talking to media persons she said, “Thousands of Baloch including my brother are languishing in the illegal custody of Pakistani army and security agencies. We are force to come to streets even on Eid day to record our protest.” She appealed the United Nation and the rest of the civilised world to take notice of enforced-disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan. Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, an organisation comprising of family members of abducted Baloch says that more around 18000 Baloch have been abducted by Pakistani forces since the beginning of year 2000. The organisation puts the number of under-custody killings over 1500 and claims that a further 1000 Baloch human rights and political activists have been target killed by Pakistan army and it proxy death squads. The chairman of Voice for Baloch Mr Nasrullah Baloch told media persons that the previous government had recovered and released few abducted Baloch in the beginning but the current government [of Dr Malik Baloch] have failed to recover any abducted Baloch. He further said that many people have recently been abducted from the earthquake affected areas of Balochistan as well. The participants of the rally have appealed to the international human rights organisation to take notice of state atrocities against Baloch people and play their role to stop the on-going human rights violations in Balochistan. http://balochwarna.com/xnews/articles.385/Balochistan-protest-demonstration-and-rally-against-enforced-disappearances.html