In less than two weeks, officials of intelligence agencies have forcibly disappeared five Baloch social workers in multiple raids from Malir, Lyari, and Gulshan-e-Mazdoor areas of Karachi.
Qayyum Baloch, aka Wapa Baloch, the Secretary General of the OST, a welfare organization was abducted from Malir, Karachi on July 09, 2020.
Eleven days later, on 20 July, the Chairman of OST, Muhammad Jan Dashti, along with the brother of missing Wapa Baloch, Said Ibrahim, was forcibly disappeared from Gul Balochistan Hotel Lyari where they were staying to pursue the case of Wapa Baloch.
Moreover, on the same night another founding member of OST, Mulla Liaquat was whisked away along with another person.
OST Welfare Organization is a Balochistan based charity organization, founded on January 22, 2019. It was officially registered under the Balochistan Charities Act in April 2019. Since then, OST has been providing humanitarian and financial supports to indigents patients of Balochistan through donations.
Balochistan is war striven and the most neglected region in Pakistan in all sectors of life, including health. Due to lack of medical facilities, people of Balochistan travel hundreds of miles to Karachi in Sindh province to seek medical assistance.
Nevertheless, not every Baloch can afford Karachi’s expensive hospitals, because of their vulnerable economic conditions. Many poor patients of Balochistan lose their lives due to acute and treatable illnesses.
The OST has supported countless patients of Balochistan, mostly cancer patients by baring their medical and accommodation expenses in Karachi.
After the disappearance of organization’s Chairman and General Secretary, OST Welfare announced suspension of all its services on its official Twitter account. It reads, “OST welfare organization has decided to suspend all of its organizational activities right away. OST is a responsible welfare institution and is always ready for any accountability to the authorities. We aim for a healthy society in Balochistan, Pakistan”.
Human Rights Council of Balochistan is highly concern about the recent surge in enforced disappearance of political and social workers across Balochistan. We have been continuously appealing to the authorities to take measures to end enforced disappearances of civilians by military and its secret agencies.
Involuntarily disappearance of OST leadership is highly condemnable and suspension of their services will directly affect the thousands of patients in the region, whose lives can be saved through the services OST renders.
We once again demand the authorities to look into the matter and ensure safe release of all OST volunteers immediately and bring the perpetrators to justice.
