Quetta, Nov 11 (IANS) Protests were recently held in Khuzdar and Hub districts of Pakistan’s Balochistan, with families and rights activists calling for the recovery of missing persons and end to enforced disappearances across the region, local media reported.
During the protests in Khuzdar, the people marked three years since the enforced disappearance of Salman Baloch. Protesters, including families of the disappeared and local residents, held banners and photographs of their loved ones, demanding justice and immediate recovery of all victims of enforced disappearances, The Balochistan Post reported.
Salman Baloch’s family stated that they have no information regarding his whereabouts or his conditions since past three years. Salman Baloch’s sister said, “Today marks three years since the disappearance of my brother, Salman Baloch. We organized this rally to demand justice, truth, and the return of our loved one. For three years, we have been waiting endlessly.”
An online campaign was launched on social media, where human rights activists and people expressed solidarity with the family.
Meanwhile, missing youth Maroof Koh Baloch’s family in Hub Chowki blocked the Karachi–Quetta highway at Hub Bhawani, calling for his release. The sit-in led to suspension of traffic and long queues of vehicles along the highway.
Heavy contingent of police personnel were deployed at the site of the protest. Authorities stated that efforts were being made to hold talks with the protesters, who vowed to continue their protests until whereabouts of Maroof Koh Baloch are revealed.
On Monday, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, condemned the enforced disappearance of Amjid Baloch, a resident of Zarin Bugh Dasht of Kech district. The rights body alleged that Amjid was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani intelligence personnel from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
“According to his family, Amjid, a labourer returning from the United Arab Emirates, was seized by plainclothes men suspected to be linked with Pakistani intelligence agencies shortly after his arrival. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown, and his family has received no information about his condition or detention,” Paank stated.
–IANS
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