Balochistan: Families of disappeared Baloch continue their protest as rains wreak havoc

QUETTA: In the heavy rain in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, the protest sit-in of the families of Baloch missing persons continues in the sensitive red zone area as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc across Balochistan.

Last night, Balochistan Interior advisor Zia Langov visited the vigil and asked the relatives of the abducted Baloch to end their protest due to deteriorating weather, but the relatives refused his request.

One of the participants told him, “You did not waste any time before visiting the camp and asking  about our situation?” Langov replied, “I am fighting your case at high powers and this is not a provincial problem. It is a federal problem”.

before Zia Langov’s admission of helplessness, the Chief Minister of Balochistan has also expressed similar views that the issue of enforced disappearances is a federal issue and the provincial government cannot do much in this regard.

The Baloch people have long been saying that the Pakistan army is directly involved in enforced disappearances, other human rights violations and ongoing military offensives in Balochistan. The admission of the Home Minister and Chief Minister of Balochistan has confirmed the concerns of the people of Balochistan.

The protesting families said that on one hand the provincial government after 37 days of our protest now claims that it’s concerned about us because of the bad weather, on the other hand, they never felt the pain of torture, mistreatment and agony that our loved ones go through at Pakistani army torture chambers.

 ‘It should have been that the government, realizing the pain of the separation from our loved ones from us, should have taken serious and practical steps from the beginning to recover all our forcibly disappeared relatives.’

The families said that the pain of the absence of their loved ones was far greater than the pain of bad weather, rain, cold and sleepless nights on the roads. ‘If the government wants to help us and rescue us they should discover our disappeared person and save us from this trauma, pain and agony that we go through every day and night.’

Yesterday evening, Seema Baloch the sister of abducted student leader Shabbir Baloch fell unconscious and was taken to hospital. There are concerning reports that more participants of the protest are becoming ill because of the bad weather and continuous sit-in in the open air.