Concerns voiced over rise in ‘enforced disappearances’ in Sindh

Expressing concerns over human rights abuses, including a rise in incidents of “enforced disappearances”, in the province, prominent human rights and civil society activists asked the Sindh government on Friday to withdraw the paramilitary Rangers’ policing powers.

A large number of rights activists and civil society representatives from across the province gathered at a consultation, titled “Deliberations on regaining civic freedom in Pakistan”, jointly organised by the Pakistan Civil Society Forum’s Sindh chapter and the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) at the Piler Centre.

Participants of the meeting discussed human rights-related issues, including enforced disappearances, harassment of human rights defenders, political victimisation, and government officials and parliamentarians’ wide-ranging corruption. 

They said over 61 political activists from various parts of the province had gone missing in the recent months, and a number of parents had received dead bodies -- mutilated and bearing burn marks.

Ali Palh, a prominent lawyer who deals with cases of human rights violations, said Pakistan was a signatory to the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders 1998, but practically the state was not abiding by the international declaration.

He also shared how civil society organisations had moved cases under public interest litigation to highlight the supply of polluted water to people, forced conversions, missing persons and the need for police reforms.

Palh said filing petitions in higher courts was the only way to protect the people’s rights. “This way is stronger than exhibiting protest demonstrations,” he said.

He also pointed out that even human rights defenders themselves faced cases. For instance, he said, renowned advocate Veerji Kolhi and other human rights defenders had been languishing in jails.

“This is happening because there is no strong voice on the part of the civil society.” Punhal Sario, a rights activist who recently organised a long march from Hyderabad to Karachi and a hunger strike camp for the recovery of missing activists in Sindh, said the state had failed to protect the rights of citizens. “There is no difference in terms of political activists, victimisation, whether that is in Balochistan, Sindh or in any other place of the country.”

Sario disputed as incorrect the data about missing persons the state was presenting. “There are many people whose names are not mentioned in the lists and their parents do not know about their whereabouts.”

He said ordinary citizens, even children, had also gone missing, and seven-year-old girl Fazeela Sarki was among them. The girl had gone missing nine years ago. “She was not picked up by secret agencies, but certain people took her away, and her parents did not know about her whereabouts.”

Sario added that an event would be organised on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on August 30. Prominent activists who spoke at the meeting included Farhat Perween of NOW Communities, Jamil Junejo from the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, nationalist activist Sattar Zangejo, Nazim Baloch, Abida Ali, Ellahi Bukhsh Baloch, Partab Shivani, Kapil Dev, Abira Ashfaq and Sara Malkani. A discussion on Tharparkar’s issue was also held where participants expressed concerns over issues of the Thari people, especially the Gorano Dam and coal-fired power plants with focus on environmental degradation. 

The participants pointed out that people would pay a heavy price in the name of coal generation in Thar. They pointed out that a draft resettlement policy of the displaced people existed, but people were not taken into confidence. They advised that a fact-finding mission be sent to ensure the settlement of the people.

They suggested what position should be taken on saving the people of the desert.

Local lawyers who have filed a petition for the communities said they were being pressurised and victimised. Ali Akbar Rahimo suggested conducting a comprehensive study focusing on various issues related to coalmine, environment, biodiversity and malnutrition among children. Piler’s Joint Director Zufiqar Shah said in his remarks that it was time all civil society organisations, lawyers, media persons and other people came onto a single platform to take up the issues at local, national and international levels.