Many in Karachi spend the three days of Eid at protest camps

During the three days of Eidul Fitr, a number of Sindhi and Baloch civil society and political activists and families organised separate protest camps outside the Karachi Press Club against the alleged abductions and disappearances of dozens of political workers.

On the third day of Eid on Wednesday, the protesters continued their sit-ins and hunger strikes, demanding safe recovery of the missing persons from, what they claimed, the custody of the law enforcement agencies.

Sindhi activists

A large number of civil society activists and Sindhi political workers, along with families, attended the hunger strike camp against the “enforced disappearances” of dozens of Sindhi political activists from various parts of the province.

The ‘Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh Forum’ had set up a hunger strike camp on Monday, the first day of Eid, and it would continue until July 1.

A number of leading rights and political activists visited the camp to express solidarity with the protesters. Civil society members Punhal Sario, Shireen Asad, Soorath Lohar, Hani Baloch, Saleem Jarwar, Amjad Palijo, Sarang Lohar and Tariq Khaskheli were prominent among them.

Punhal Sario told The News that the law enforcement agencies had picked up more than 40 activists, mainly belonging to Sindhi ethnic parties, from various parts of the province.

“Sindh’s civil society is gravely concerned over the continued reports of citizens being whisked away by law enforcement personnel. Most of them are not presented in court and the law enforcement agencies are not disclosing their whereabouts. It is a worrisome trend.”

The family of schoolteacher Hidayullah Lohar is among the camp’s participants. According to them, “plain-clothed law enforcement personnel” picked up Lohar from his school in District Naseerabad on April 17. One of his relatives said the law enforcement agencies should bring him to court.

Ghulam Raza Jarwar, Ali Ahmed Bughio, Shadi Khan Soomro, Abdul Aziz Gurgez, Ayub Kandhro and Sabir Chandio were prominent among other missing persons, whose families and friends participated in the hunger strike camp.

Deen Muhammad

Adjacent to the camp set up by the Sindhi civil society activists, the family of Baloch political leader Dr Deen Muhammad set up their camp from Monday to Wednesday.

According to them, “plain-clothed law enforcement personnel” picked up Muhammad on June 28, 2009 from a hospital in Balochistan’s District Awaran where he was serving as a medical officer, and his whereabouts were still unknown.

Muhammad was associated with the Baloch National Movement. Now, on the completion of eight years of his “abduction”, the family decided to organise a three-day hunger strike camp. A large number of women and men attended the camp during all three days of Eid.

“For the safe recovery of our father, we adopted all peaceful means: filed applications in higher courts, organised rallies and protest camps, and took part in a long march on foot from Quetta to Karachi and then from Karachi to Islamabad,” Muhammad’s daughter told The News.

“But we did not get any positive response from the government and the court,” she lamented. Muhammad’s family also appealed to the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take notice of Muhammad’s “enforced disappearance”.

Parachinar bombings

A few miles away, at the Numaish roundabout, dozens of Shia community members organised a sit-in on Tuesday, the second day of Eid, against last week’s twin bombings in Kurram Agency’s Parachinar that left more than 70 people dead.

The protesters mourned the death of the Parachinar blast’s victims and expressed solidarity with the heirs of the deceased. The protest ended in the wee hours of Wednesday.