Baloch Human Rights Organization and Voice for Baloch Missing Persons staged a protest demonstration in front of Quetta Press Club against enforced disappearances of women and children from Awaran and Dera Bugti and framing them fake cases.
People from different walks of life including civil society members participated in the protest for the safe release of Baloch women. The protesters were carrying play cards and banners denouncing the allegations on women of being facilitator of militants.
Addressing the protestors, Chairperson of Baloch Human Rights Organization Bibi Gul Baloch said that the continuous military operations by security establishments have made the life of ordinary people burdensome for past few years. Initially, political and human rights activists were forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially killed by forces but now women and children are being victimized too.
The chairperson further said, on November 30, 2019, security forces whisked away four women and two minors from different areas of Awaran district. The abductees were identified as Sayad Bibi, Hameeda, Nazal and Sakina. Sakina teenage son Sajid along with another minor Pervaiz was taken into custody on November 25, 2019. Earlier this week, half a dozen Baloch women from Och area of Dera Bugti were illegally detained and then moved to an unknown location.
Violating the international human rights law and constitution of Pakistan, the security forces arrested and tortured Baloch women and later orchestrated a story of the police raid and confiscation of arms and ammunition from women’s possession. In fact, the operation was conducted by the army and the women were abducted from 3 different places in Awaran district. Hameeda and Nazal were abducted from Zeelag Pirandar, Sayad Bibi was abducted from Mashi while Sakina and teenage boys were abducted from Harooni Dann area of Awaran. After 24 hours of interrogation and torture, all four women were handed over to police while the whereabouts of teenage boys are still unknown.
During the protest, Mama Qadeer Baloch, Vice Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, said that the forced disappearance of women is the continuation of the policy of collective punishment which is seriously concerning and furthermore, charging women in bogus cases is a totally unjust and unlawful act against Baloch people.
The serious violations of human rights in Balochistan are worsening with the passing of each day. However, the role of silent spectators of the government and political parties on the issue has further exacerbated the issue.
Mama Qadeer further said that ignoring such heartbreaking events in the mainstream media suppresses such incidents and the perpetrators continue to violate the human rights laws in Balochistan.
