Civil society rallies for release of political activists

To express solidarity and demand the release of two detained and recovery of a third missing progressive activist, a number of civil society members gathered at the press club on Sunday.

While Comrade Baba Jan and Momin Khan Momin remain in custody of their respective area’s local police in cases alleged to be flawed, family and friends of Abdul Wahid Baloch demand to make public his whereabouts. He was reportedly taken into custody by law officers from the Super Highway on his way back to Karachi from Hyderabad over three months ago.

Organised by the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and the Inqilabi Adarsh Forum (IAF), a large numbers of students, labour union representatives, social and political activists participated in the protest.

They demanded that the unjust jail sentence to Comrade Jan should be overturned; fake cases against Momin should be withdrawn; and Wahid Baloch should be recovered.

Jan, a member of Awami Workers Party (AWP) was sentenced to life imprisonment after he organised protests in his hometown, Hunza valley, against the government’s failure to compensate families displaced by the formation of Attabad  lake. Twelve other young activists were also put behind bars along with Jan.

Momin, on the other hand, was recently announced a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Altaf’s (MQM-A) Rabita Committee. Arrested from outside the press club, he was later said to have been in possession of a huge cache of arms and illegal money.

He was known for his politics of agitation ever since his association with the National Students’ Federation (NSF), of which he also served as a district president. Baloch, an intellectual, a publisher, went ‘missing’ on July 26 from Karachi’s Toll Plaza after he was known to have been stopped by Rangers personnel.

Terming the arrests a reminder of dictatorial regimes, the protestors stated that the arrests were deplorable in the time of a democratically elected government. They observed that the practice would not only weaken democracy but an undemocratic style of politics would also gain space.

Both the federal and the provincial governments were urged to take note of these arrests and release Jan and Momin, and recover Baloch.

Those who addressed the demonstration included IAF's Mushtaq Ali Shan, Gul Rehman of NTUF, Zehra Khan of Home Based Women Workers Federation, Comrade Rasheed of the Communist Party, Riaz Ahmed of Inqilabi Socialists, Aziz Khan of Baldia Factory Victims Association among others.