Voice for Baloch Missing Persons launches second phase of its long march to Islamabad

http://balochwarna.com/

The organisation representing families of enforced-disappeared Baloch launched its second phase of long march from Karachi to Islamabad on Friday.

The convey consisting of hundreds of Baloch youth, children, elders and women headed by Mama Qadeer Baloch, father of murdered Jalil Reki, and Farzana Majeed Baloch, sister of abducted Baloch student leader Zakir Majeed Baloch, left to Islamabad on 13 December 2013 from Karachi Press Club.

The people in convoy marched ten miles to reach Baloch Colony where they rested for a while and then restarted their journey in the evening.

The women and young ones continuously chanted slogans for the release of their loved ones. They also pledged to continue the struggle to bring the perpetrators of extra-judicial killings in Balochistan to justice.

The leader of the convoy Mama Qadeer said they present a memorandum United Nations headquarter after they reach to Islamabad. He said they would ask the UN why it has continuously been ignoring human rights violations, especially, enforced-disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Balochistan. He claimed that according to today’s figures eighteen thousand two hundred thirty-six (18632) people have been abducted and they currently being held by Pakistani security agencies and army.

Farzana Baloch dressed in traditional Balochi cloths, whose brother Zakir Majeed Baloch was abducted four years ago, said: “We have explored every option, we have contacted human rights organisations, we have petitioned in Supreme Court but it has been of no use. We have daily been requesting United Nations to press state of Pakistan for the release of our loved ones but there has been no success. We seek an answer about the reasons.” An ambulance, two vehicles of Police and two others of Rangers were also traveling alongside the caravan but the participants were not satisfied regarding their safety.

Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, while talking to BBC Urdu, said that he was worried about young children in the caravan who are continuously being threatened by Pakistani forces.

According the participants of the long march it will take them two months to reach Islamabad but it can even take longer if the weather deteriorates. On Saturday the March started the second day of their journey from Malir area of Karachi accompanied by thousands of Baloch and other human rights activists. As they entered interior Sindh different Sindhi political parties passionately greeted them and started walking with them. The Sindhi nationalist leaders said they would continue to support the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons long march for the release of thousands of abducted persons.

Meanwhile Farzana Majeed Baloch told a private TV channel that Voice for Baloch Missing Persons long marchers will continue their journey and hoped that Sindhi brothers and sisters will support them as both nations are suffering at the hands of common oppressor

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She said: “Sindhi should consider us their families, sisters and mothers and do their best to help us as we pass from their territory.”

Vice chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons Mama Qadeer Baloch strongly condemned a Sindhi pro-establishment newspaper ‘Awami Awaaz’ for a misleading statement attributed to him. He said in a video message that he has always spoken about Sindh’s unity and prosperity. He said Baloch and Sindhi’s were brothers and were struggling against a common enemy. “The same forces that abducted and killed thousands of Baloch, are now arbitrary arresting and killing Sindhi political activists,” he said.