What else one can expect from a state that has completely failed to protect its citizens from the hidden hands that are busy orchestrating and spearheading a tyrannical campaign against the dissent voices. There is no end to the acts of hidden hands that are playing the role of judge, jury and executioner themselves with no right of defence to the victim whatsoever, and justify it all in the name of national security and well being of people. Believe it or not, there is no trace of two Baloch students, who got missing on November 1 last year from the Balochistan University in Quetta. Since then, their fellow students have been protesting outside the campus for their recovery. Both students are allegedly facing the wrath of security agencies for voicing their concern against the plight of their fellow natives.
The fact that there had been no letup in cases of missing Baloch persons is a cause for concern. There are numerous cases that remain unsolved as mystery shrouds these abductions allegedly done by security agencies. Statistics regarding the missing persons from Balochistan, Sindh and other restive areas are appalling. Reportedly, estimates of the number of disappeared in Balochistan are between hundreds and several thousand. Balochistan is definitely facing an insurgency but it is not the kind of terrorism we are seeing in FATA. It cannot be eliminated through heavy-handed tactics like alleged forced disappearances.
The situation calls for a thorough introspection by the concerned authorities. Young scholars are the future of Pakistan and by subjecting them to inhuman treatment, no one is safeguarding the country’s interests. The policy of picking up persons on the pretext of crushing dissent can create more chaos in society. In a sovereign state, all citizens are equal and under the constitution they are entitled to their views. The piling up of missing persons’ cases calls for direct intervention of the government. The government needs to take charge of the situation and rescue these poor souls whose recovery remains a dream.
