KARACHI: A long march of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), seeking recovery of the missing persons of Balochistan on Friday reached Karachi Press Club (KPC) after covering a distance of 780 kilometres on foot.
The march started from Quetta on October 27 to press the authorities for recovery of the missing Baloch political workers. Mama Qadeer Baloch led the long march participants from Quetta. Men, women and children were also part of the march, demanding the recovery of their loved ones.
The marchers were welcomed by KPC President, Imtiaz Faran, General Secretary, Amir Latif, and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pasban, Jeay Sindh Quami Mahaz, Aurat Foundation, Aafia Movement Pakistan and other political and civil society organizations.
Addressing a press conference at KPC, Vice Chairman VBMP, Mama Qadir said that they began their journey 27 days ago from Quetta and after covering 780 kilometres on foot, they finally reached Karachi. He said that he would announce his future plans over missing persons’ issue within two days at a seminar. If we had to go to Islamabad, United Nations or Commonwealth we will approach them to get help in recovering our loved ones.
Qadir said that 28 journalists were killed over raising issue of missing Baloch people. We were also threatened when we began our journey from Quetta but we never stopped and finally reached Karachi, he said. Issue of Baloch missing persons began in Pervez Musharraf’s era, continued during Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) government and till now the Baloch people are subjected to torture and forced disappearances.
He said that Chief Minister Balochistan, Abdul Malik Baloch had called for recovery of missing persons before elections but after being elected the cases of forced disappearances had increased. Almost 18000 Baloch people are missing, 1500 tortured bodies have been recovered and 600 people have been killed in targeted killings, he claimed. He said that 150 relatives of missing Baloch citizens met a United Nations (UN) delegation visiting Pakistan while a data of 14000 missing persons was handed over to the UN delegation. He applauded role of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, in recovering Baloch missing persons He said that 91 hearings of Supreme Court of Pakistan were held in Quetta and Islamabad, where several families of missing persons appeared before the court.
The caravan of missing persons’ families also set up a protest camp outside KPC where photographs of missing persons were displayed.—PPI
