Daily Times

HYDERABAD: Political parties’ leaders, social welfare organisations’ activists and families of the missing persons on Tuesday participated in the ongoing hunger strike for the third consecutive day in front of Hyderabad Press Club for demanding an immediate recovery of all missing persons including writers, journalists, students and political workers.

Reportedly, the vice-convener of missing persons (VMP) Sindhu Amman Chandio, the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) acting chairman Amir Azad Pahanwer and notables including Aslam Khairpuri, Arbab Bheel, renowned writer Taj Joyo, Tanvir Arijo, Neelam Arijo, Abu Nuhani, Mehfooz Notkani, Rahim Pahanwar, Bilawal Unar, Abdullah Soomro, Ahsan Dayo, Aqsa Batool, Shabana Junejo, Sajid Junejo, Zarina Almani, Pashmina Almani, Ganhwar Chandio and others also participated in the hunger strike.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Wahid Qureshi and lawyers including Azam Dawoodpoto, Mushtaq Tagar also joined the camp.

While addressing the hunger strike, the leaders asserted that more than a month has been passed since the initiation of the protest movement, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) also took notice, however no progress could be observed for the recovery of missing persons.

“As law abiding citizens, we have demonstrated a peaceful protest for demanding our fundamental rights to be secured, and recently two persons namely Naveed Chandio, a resident of Jamshoro, and Javed Mangrio, a resident of Kandhkot, were whisked away by law enforcement agencies,” they said while expressing deep sorrow over the situation.

Furthermore, they claimed that women and girls belonging to Sindh have been protesting on the roads in the scorching heat of summer, but no authority has responded to their grievances.

Importantly, they have appealed to political parties for raising voice for recovering missing persons before upcoming general election-2018, and include the issue in their respective manifestoes.

Published in Daily Times, June 27^th 2018.