The civilians, who are in the custody of Pakistani intelligence agencies on flimsy charges, are being held hostage without trial.
LAHORE: In a bid to slam the enforced disappearances of hundreds of civilians, especially nationalists from Baluchistan and Sindh provinces, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has decided to organise a week of protests to highlight the situation of the people.
The civilians, who are in the custody of Pakistani intelligence agencies on flimsy charges, are picked up across the country and being held hostage without trial.
According to Asma Jahangir, the secretary general of the HRCP, the week of protests would begin with a seminar on enforced disappearances in Lahore which would be followed by a press conference in Karachi and protest meetings in Quetta and Peshawar.
The week of protests will end with a demonstration in Islamabad on December 9. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has already taken notice of enforced disappearances across Pakistan, asking the authorities to provide details of all those detained without a court trial.
According to the HRCP chairperson, the Commission has remained engaged in the process of collecting data on disappearances over the past several months. According to details available so far, hundreds of people are missing from all the four provinces of the country and almost all the missing persons are in the custody of the intelligence agencies.
She said there is an increase in such cases over the past two years, particularly in Baluchistan and Sindh where Baluch and Sindhi nationalists are being targetted by the state agencies. She said the HRCP is continuing the process of collecting information on, verifying and documenting all cases of enforced disappearances.
The objective of the week of protests is to highlight the denial of fundamental freedoms and the due process of justice to hundreds of citizens, as well as the unbearable agony suffered by the families who for weeks, months or years have no information about their relatives, and are unaware as to whether they are dead or alive, she said.
“The HRCP reiterates its consistent demand to discover the whereabouts of all those reported missing besides ending secret captivity at detention houses reportedly dotted across the country, she added.”
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