Relatives of missing Baloch looking to UN as last ray of hope

After exhausting their years-long efforts, the relatives of the Baloch missing persons are now looking to the United Nations (UN) as the last ray of hope for the recovery of their near and dear ones.

Mama Qadeer Baloch, who led the long march of the missing persons’ relatives to Islamabad from Quetta via Karachi, told a press conference on Saturday that they had lost hope in parliament, Supreme Court and other state institutions.

The participants - 14 men, nine women and three children - started the long march from Quetta on October 27, 2013. The first phase, a 730-kilometre long march, ended in Karachi on November 23 and the second phase began in mid-December. “It was not easy to travel around 3,000 kilometres but the participants were determined to reach Islamabad and submit their demand to the UN,” said the 60-year-old Baloch rights activist outside the National Press Club (NPC).

Mr Baloch claimed that he had come to Islamabad on the request of UN officials, adding: “We will submit our demand to the UN on Monday.

“On our way to Islamabad, agencies threatened us. In Renala Khurd, a truck ran over the participants of the long march, leaving two of them, including a woman, injured. We handed over the driver to the police but he was released.”

He said the marchers stayed in Renala Khurd for one week unsuccessfully trying to get a case registered against the driver but later decided to continue the journey. “In Gujranwala, we were stopped by the police and told to go back,” he said. Mr Baloch added that even on Friday night they were threatened by the agencies in Islamabad.

“We were instructed to go back but we changed our residence and shifted to a building near the UN office,” he said.

Mr Qadeer claimed that he was in contact with the UN, adding: “The future of Balochistan has been decided and soon the people will know about it.” He also said the issue of the Baloch missing persons would also be decided within two months. “The government of Pakistan, parliamentarians and the Supreme Court are helpless in front of the agencies due to which the number of enforced disappearances is increasing.” He claimed that 19,200 persons had gone missing in Balochistan and bodies of another 2,200 had been recovered. The operation in Dera Bugti is still going on and on Saturday 19 persons were killed there,” he said. In reply to questions, Mr Qadeer said he was not getting any support from outside the country. Awami National Party (ANP) leader Bushra Gohar, who had come to receive the participants of the long mach, said the government should not ignore the protesters.

“The government of Punjab has been making world records. The relatives of the missing persons have also made a record which will not be ignored by the international community. Parliament should listen to them,” she said. Farzana Majeed, one of the participants, said they had contacted politicians of Balochistan but they were helpless in recovering the missing persons.

Farah Azeem Shah, a former member of the Balochistan Assembly, while talking to Dawn said she had come to show solidarity with the people of Balochistan. Afzal Butt, the president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said it was the responsibility of the state to recover the missing persons.

“Only those can understand the pain of the relatives of missing persons who have also lost their loved ones,” he said.

Earlier, when the marchers reached the NPC, security guards closed its gates and did not allow them to enter the premises.

The marchers chanted slogans against the management of the press club.

However, the NPC management said the press conference of the long march participants was not scheduled.