Balochistan: Families of disappeared Baloch continue sit-in despite heavy rains

QUETTA: Thirty-one days ago, around fifty family members of the enforced-disappeared Baloch initiated a sit-in protest in the ‘Red Zone area’ of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.

The peaceful sit-in protest was set up soon after the Ziarat massacre where the Pakistani Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) shot in cold blood at least nine previously disappeared Baloch men and alleged that the men were killed during a ‘rescue operation’.

The family members of the Ziarat massacre victims came forward with evidence that shows that the men were abducted many months before their killing and were in the custody of Pakistani forces.   

The protesters have been demanding an impartial inquiry into the Ziarat massacre and the recovery of the disappeared persons from Balochistan.

They have been sit-in in bad weather for the past month. It has been raining all day today and it’s likely to continue to rain, due to which the participants of the sit-in protest have been facing severe difficulties.

Despite the protest in the ‘Red Zone and in front of the Governor’s house, Pakistani media and local authorities have remained completely silent about the agitation of Baloch families of the missing persons.  

The family members say that they have not been contacted by the government representatives, nor has there been any progress regarding their demands and the Pakistani forces continue to disappear more people from Balochistan.

The protesting family members say that if the provincial government and the higher authorities showed irresponsibility and they have not been heard and believed, then the next steps of their protest will be tougher.

 ‘We have given the government a lot of time and have been waiting patiently but it seems the government is not serious about our demands and despite producing previously missing persons, they are disappearing more people.’