Baloch Human Rights Organization’s Chairperson Bibi Gul Baloch held a press conference in Press Club Quetta and said that for last many years, we are requesting one of the important pillars of the state, media, with the hope that media in fulfilling its responsibility will not turn its back towards the serious issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. It is known to everyone how critical the issue of enforced disappearances of Balochistan is. The humanitarian situation in Balochistan has become so catastrophic that the human rights activist and journalists have also become its victim. Human rights activist and journalists from Balochistan are quitting their jobs, considering the safety of their lives because in Balochistan, writing about this issue will put your life in danger.
The human rights defender and Information Secretary of Baloch Human Rights Organization, Nawaz Atta along with 8 other students were abducted in raids of Sindh Ranger and secret agents on their homes in Gulshan e Hadeed, Gulistan e Johar and Kohi Goth Malir, Karachi. There is still no trace of them. Their families have tried all the legal options for the recovery of Nawaz Atta and the innocent children and we also appealed to Sindh government and human rights organization to play their roles but it’s been 4 months that Nawaz Atta, Aftab, Ulfat and other students are disappeared but none of them is recovered so far.
She further added that according to United Nation’s Charter, no state should forcibly disappear its citizen extra judicially, especially the inhuman treatment of children is considered to be a serious crime but the state is violating all the conventions in Balochistan
The number of the forcibly disappeared person in Balochistan is increasing day by day. Nawaz Atta was collecting the data of the disappeared persons to highlight the human rights violations of Balochistan but state’s institutions are trying to stop these efforts in order to suppress the voices being raised against human rights violations in Balochistan. All the responsible institutions of state especially judiciary should pay attention to Balochistan and it is its responsibility to provide all the civilians of Pakistan the right to live in equality and justice. We believe that if the enforced disappearances of people of Balochistan didn’t end, then the international human rights bodies will hold Pakistan accountable.
This year in the month of February, in military raids and operations, 115 people are forcibly disappeared whereas 21 people are extrajudicially executed including the resident of Kodo, Jhao, Rafeeq s/o Rozi. He was abducted by forces on 2 years ago and his mutilated body was recovered from Karachi on February 21. 38 people are also released in this month. Most of them were abducted in the same month while Qaboos s/o Abdul Karim was abducted from Jinnah International Airport Karachi on his return from Germany on May 16, 2016. Naeem s/o Chakar who was also abducted along with him is still missing.
She added that Baloch Human Rights Organization is an active human right organization. Organization’s Information Secretary Nawaz Atta was forcibly disappeared along with Aftab Younis, Ulfat Iltaf, Ilyas Baloch, Farhad Anwar, Sajid Baloch, Abid Baloch four months ago. It is sad to say that not a single international human rights organization has taken any step for their safe recovery. We hope that the media will keep the dignity of journalism and the electronic and print media will give coverage to our press conference and press release. We also hope that media fulfilling their responsibility will raise this issue with Federal Government, Supreme Court of Pakistan and Sindh Government.
