Former Balochistan chief minister Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch’s National Party (NP) on Tuesday called on the government to enter into negotiations with the protesting families of Baloch missing persons.
In a press release, the NP termed the silence of the government over the issue very ‘disappointing’ and said that no one from the relevant authorities had bothered to visit the families and enter into dialogues with them. It said that amidst stormy rains and harsh weather in Quetta, the protesters, including children and the elderly, were protesting on roads for their legal demands. “We understand the protest of the families is legal and need of time to resolve the grave issue of enforced disappearances,” it read.
The statement further read that ‘killing innocent people in ‘fake encounters’ is a ruthless act and a national crime which their party would undermine at every stage. It said that such behaviours from institutions would never be endorsed by them. “The peace situation in Balochistan is deteriorating on a daily basis,” it said, adding that with careless policies of the government, the circumstances would get intensified in the future.
It said that the NP was in favour of all three demands of the protesters. The NP statement termed the formation of a judicial commission a welcome step and said that the commission should soon begin to function to bring before public the accurate statistics. It added that along with the commission, the families must be ensured that their loved ones if in the custody of institutions, would be safe from such “fake encounters” in the future. “The government must stand shoulder to shoulder with the grieving families for the recovery of their beloveds,” it stressed.
While bringing the premier of the country, Shehbaz Sharif, into the debate, it said that the PM should interfere in the matter and arrange meetings of the families with the “actual authorities” and assure them of the fulfilment of their legal demands. The statement brought back their past performance to attend, saying that such a scenario existed back in 2013 when the “kill and dump” policy was at its peak. “The NP, along with the cooperation of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and chief of army staff, succeeded to end the continuation of the ‘ruthless policy’.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the families of Baloch missing persons have camped outside the Governor’s House for the last 28 days. On August 16, they camped in two different areas of Quetta to raise awareness about their sit-in and demands: one camp was set at Manoo Jan Chowk in Killi Hudda, while the other camp was organised in Killi Ismail. They had also distributed pamphlets among the masses and requested them to join them in their rally beginning from Manoo Jan Chowk to the Governor’s House.
