On Tuesday, during the occasion of Eid, families in Balochistan whose relatives were missing or dead staged a protest against the Pakistan government as well as the security services outside the Karachi Press Club, seeking the safe release of their loved ones. According to an ANI report, protesters headed by activist Sammi Baloch claimed that Pakistani security services had kidnapped their family and friends and that their locations had not been revealed.
Further, Sammi Baloch chastised the Human Rights Organisation and the media for failing to join in and cover the demonstration. Sammi said, “The media shows you how people are celebrating the Eid, but the same media won’t be able to cover our Baloch protest”, ANI reported.
This protest came at a time when the Islamabad High Court announced the formation of a special committee to address the concerns of Baloch students at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), as per local media on April 28. After Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, a rights activist and lawyer, made a complaint about the mistreatment and abuse of Baloch students who were protesting the kidnapping of Hafeez Baloch, one of their colleagues, Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, Athar Minallah, agreed to form a committee.
Moreover, the QAU students’ petition indicated that Pakistani authorities across the country are holding QAU students liable for the kidnappings and subjecting them to racial profiling based only on their colour and ethnicity, as per media reports.
Baloch Protesters demand the safe release of their loved ones who have been abducted by Pakistani security forces
In addition to this, during the recent protest, Sammi Baloch rebuked Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a Pakistani politician, for tweeting about her father Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, being in jail and thus unable to enjoy Eid. However, she asserted that Maryam is now being insensitive to the plight of Baloch people who do not even know where their family members are who were kidnapped by Pakistani security forces, ANI reported.
Furthermore, Sammi is the daughter of Dr Deen Muhammad Baloch who was kidnapped by Pakistani security agents 11 years ago and is still missing. According to the ANI report, Deen Mohammad was a member of the political organisation Baloch National Movement (BNM). When he disappeared, he was a member of the party’s Central Committee. Sammi is also a spokesperson for the Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP).
Apart from this, another demonstration took place in the Balochistan city of Turbat, when students from several educational institutions walked on roads via the press club, holding placards, photos of missing individuals, and banners. According to The Balochistan Post report, the demonstrators held a sit-in protest at the Shaheed Fida Chowk after the march. The demonstrators brought Eid garments and shoes for their loved ones who have disappeared or gone missing.
The forcible disappearances and abductions of students from educational institutions all across the nation have made it increasingly evident that the governing elites and Pakistani authorities seek to further marginalise the Baloch, ANI reported.