KARACHI: The participants of long march arrived in Karachi on Sunday, ending an 11-day journey started on July 5 from Hyderabad, in order to press for the recovery of missing persons. The marchers comprising of activists of various nationalist parties and missing persons family members, led by the Voice of Missing Persons convener, Punhal Sario reached Karachi Press Club to register their protest for the recovery of political activists and others who have been disappeared. “Those who express different political and ideological ideas are harassed and tortured. Freedom of expression practically does not exists in the country”, Punhal Sario said while addressing the participants at KPC on Sunday. “When we started our long march 42 persons were disappeared and today as we reached Karachi, their number has increased to 61”, Sario lamented. He also alleged that the Sindh government also supports the elements who are behind the forced disappearances. Sammi Baloch, daughter of Dr. Deen Muhammad Baloch from Balochistan while talking to Daily Times said that she is waiting for the return of her father since June 28, 2009. “I live and die each day waiting for my beloved father. Whenever we listen about the recovery of anybody we are shocked”, she said. “My father is a respectable teacher and he has no political connections”, said Sassui from Nasserabad district Larkana. “We approached police who told us that ‘powerful people’ have taken him with them”. Wife of missing person, Ali Ahmed Bughio, hailing from Badin said that on May 24, some people entered their house, harassed and tortured them and took away her husband along with them. “My husband is the only bread-earner for the whole family”, she sobbed. They council member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Amjad Palejo said that the constitution of Pakistan’s Article 10 clearly denies such brutal violation of human rights. Writer and Poet, Bedil Masroor said that if this practice continues, it would increase the extremism among the victims family. He demanded an end such practices which a violation of human rights. Chairman of Jiye Sindh Liberal Front, Nawaz Khan Zaoh said that the detained persons should be presented in courts rather than killing them in staged encounters.
Published in Daily Times, July 17th , 2017.