Seminar on Baloch missing persons turn into protest demonstration as KU tries to block it

Despite several security check points at Karachi’s largest educational institution and locking the doors Arts Auditorium, the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons vice chairman Mama Qadeer Baloch, General Secretary Farzana Majeed Baloch and others have succeeded in addressing getting their message about Balochistan situation and enforced disappearances to the students and other human rights activists on Wednesday.

Hundreds of students, civil society activists and university staff joined the seminar which later turned into a protest demonstration.

According to University administration they had banned the entry of unauthorized persons to university since morning. The representatives of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and several journalists were stopped at the entrance. But Mama Qadeer Baloch, chairman of Voice for Missing Persons, Farzana Majeed, Mohammad Ali Talpur and some journalists succeeded in getting into the premises.

The seminar titled “Baloch Missing Persons and the role of society and the state” was initially scheduled to be held in the auditorium of the Arts but the university administration had locked the door of auditorium. Hence the event was held on the floor of the corridor where cement chairs were arranged for the speakers.

Vice Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, Mama Qadeer Baloch said that the state was in denial about enforced-disappearance in Balochistan. He said condemnation of human rights violation in Balochistan was termed as outside interference.  The recent example of that, he said, is the Federal Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement claiming that the Baloch separatist leaders travel on Indian passports. He asked that if their claim were true they don’t they present the proof of Indian involvement to international community?

Qadeer said, “If Balochistan issue was creation of India or foreign interference then why Pakistan claims to heal the past wounds of Baloch people. Why are they busy trying to negotiate and reconcile with pro-freedom Baloch national leaders?”

More than two hundred students had joined the event to listen to the speeches of the panel but due to lack of megaphone people faced difficulties properly hearing the speakers.

One of the speakers of event, Mir Mohammad Ali, was an alumnus of Karachi University in 1969. He said Sabeen was killed because she resisted against injustice and she defended Baloch, Christians and other oppressed nations.

He said, “Defence is like a disease. The rulers are afraid of us that we might pollute the mind of other people to speak the truth.”

BSO-Azad’s senior vice chairman abducted Zakir Majeed’s sister Farzana Majeed said, “History of disappearances is as old as the history of colonisation of my motherland. It goes back to illegal occupation of Balochistan by British Empire in 1839.  But the worst tragic episode of state enforced disappearances in Balochistan began from 1948 onwards.  It was when the newly formed state of Pakistan invaded independent Balochistan and forcefully annexed it to its territory.”

She added, “The increasing number of disappeared Baloch political and human rights activists is a reflection of Baloch resistance against colonialism and occupation. Only and only for this reason, Pakistan has carried out five major military operations in Balochistan since 1948.

“In each of these catastrophic operations thousands of Baloch people including women and children have been killed and hundreds of thousands more were forced to flee their native towns and villages. Among these victims are those many thousands who disappeared without any trace. The inhumane act of disappearances, target killing and kill and dump of Baloch activists by state functionaries continues as I speak before you today.”

Recalling the Quetta to Karachi and Karachi to Islamabad long march, Farzana Majeed Baloch said, “Throughout our march we were threatened on many occasions. Several times we came face to face with military personnel who blocked our way and stopped us for many hours. We were threatened to postponed the long march or face the consequences – VBMP leaders and activists to this day continue to receive threats. Many people who hosted us were later disappeared and killed and several are still being haunted.

“More than a year has passed from our march but nothing has changed on the ground in Balochistan. The military operations, disappearances and kill and dump are carried out at the same rate and intensity as before. Tortured and mutilated bodies of previously abducted Baloch continue to surface in deserted place and road side in Balochistan.”

The program manager Dr Riaz Ahmed said that same university would some other day host a petty event but then the university administration would not care about ethics and values. It is a place of education and educational institutions do not hire their halls for five thousands rupees only.