Balochistan: Long March team reaches Okarra, the marcher visited tomb of Chakar-e-Azam

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The long march of voice of Baloch missing persons for the recovery of abducted Baloch activists has reached to Okarra city of Punjab on Friday. Some activists of NFS and other social activists joined the long march but the public support for Baloch march in Punjab remained low as usual. The intrepid Baloch marchers also visited the grave of Baloch folk hero Chakar Khan Rind – also known as Chakar-e-Azam or Chakar the great. They lit candles in the hope of a better future for Baloch nation and Balochistan and observed two minutes silence in respect of Baloch leader. The Baloch sisters also sang the national song of Baloch of Balochistan at Chakar Khan’s tomb to renew their resolve for the struggle of Baloch national freedom. Meanwhile talking to media person Qadeer Baloch, the Vice Chairman of VBMP, said that Pakistani intelligence agencies continue to harass the marcher and those who come to welcome them. He said they stop the supporter and question them for several hours in an effort to compel them to distance themselves from the #VBMPLongMarch. Earlier on Thursday, despite of heavy rain and wind the long marchers continued their journey and crossed the city of Sahiwal. The #VBMPLongMarch team’s walk for justice, peace and freedom completed their 84th day of march from Quetta and 57 from Karachi to Islamabad. The courageous marchers set record in south Asia for the longest, peaceful and steadfast march for human rights and against state atrocities. Qadeer Baloch, Farzana Majeed Baloch, Sammi Baloch and 10 year old Ali Haider Baloch who are leading the march along with several other Baloch activists and family members of abducted Baloch are considered as heroes of contemporary Baloch struggle. Qadeer Baloch’s son Jaleel Raki was abducted and killed in 2011, Farzana Majeed’s brother Zakir Majeed Baloch was abducted in 2009 and he’s still in the custody of Pakistani forces whereas 15-year old Sammi and Ali Haider are walking in search of their fathers – Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch and Mohammad Ramzan Baloch, both abducted by Pakistani security forces in presence of several eye-witnesses. The first phase of VBMP long march was launched on 27 October last year and reached to Karachi after 27 days. After a short break in Karachi the VBMP launched the second phase of its march toward Islamabad on 13 December 2013. The marchers plan to organise a sit-in protest in front of United Nations headquarters in Islamabad to record their peaceful protest against state atrocities in Balochistan. It is pertinent to mention that as the long march was proceeding toward Islamabad, three mass graves were found in Tootak area of Khuzdar in Balochistan containing more than one hundred decomposed dead bodies of previously abducted Baloch activists. Three of the bodies were later identified but the identity of the rest could not be ascertained as they are mutilated and decomposed beyond recognition. The Baloch political parties and human rights organisations have been demanding for an independent international investigation into the issue of discover of mass graves. In a recent statement, after with members of US Congress & Senate, Baloch leader Hybyair Marri said that Pakistan army is busying removing the evidence from the site of mass graves that’s why the international community must react quickly and send a team of independent experts to conduct DNA tests of the bodies recovered from mass graves to ascertain their identity.