UK: Protest outside PM's residence over missing persons in Pakistan
Synopsis
A demonstration was held outside the British PM's residence in London to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Protesters accused Pakistani authorities of failing to account for missing political activists.
A large demonstration was held outside the British Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street in London to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, with protesters accusing Pakistani authorities of failing to account for missing political activists and ordinary citizens.
Protestors Submit Memorandum, Demand Action
The protest was organised by the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM), with participation from Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun, Kashmiri, Saraiki, Gilgiti and Baltistani communities from across the United Kingdom. Before the demonstration, a joint delegation comprising representatives of JSFM, Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS), Baloch National Movement (BNM) and other organisations submitted a memorandum at 10 Downing Street. The memorandum called for international pressure on Pakistan to recover people allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance and ensure their rights and freedoms.
Carrying placards and banners, protesters demanded the immediate release and recovery of missing activists and civilians. Speakers alleged that enforced disappearances remain a serious human rights concern in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and other parts of Pakistan.
Pakistani Security Agencies Implicated by Speakers
JSFM Chairman Sohail Abro, its spokesperson Mansoor Ahmed Hab, VMPS Europe Coordinator Sarang Hyder, National Equity Party Chairman Sajjad Raja, BNM representative Jasim Baloch and representatives of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, World Sindhi Congress, UKPNP, Baloch Republican Party and other groups addressed the gathering.
The speakers alleged that Pakistani security and law-enforcement agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI), Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Rangers, Frontier Corps and the Pakistani Army, have been involved in cases of abduction and enforced disappearance. They cited the cases of Ustad Qamber Wahid, Ali Wazir, Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sohail Raza Bhatti, among others, as examples of people they said remained missing or had faced enforced disappearance.
The protesters urged the British Prime Minister to raise the issue with Islamabad and press Pakistani authorities to account for missing persons. (ANI)