July 27, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 30, 1427

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QUETTA, July 26: A congregation of the Mohammadshahi tribe has given the government a 15-day ultimatum to release Samiullah Baloch, the brother of the Balochistan National Party’s outspoken senator Sanaullah Baloch.

Mr Samiullah was allegedly picked up by the personnel of an intelligence agency from Quetta the other day.

Briefing journalists about the deliberations of Wednesday’s jirga, Mir Kabir Mohammadshahi, the elder of the Mohammadshahi clan, warned that the clan may come up with ‘strong reaction if Samiullah was not released in a fortnight.

Mr Mohammadshahi said that Mr Samiullah Baloch was a contractor by profession who had nothing to do with politics. “He has been picked up only because his brother opposes government policies,” he added and termed it a great injustice.

“If the detainee has committed any crime, he should be produced before a court of law,” the tribal elder said.

Mir Kabir said that the jirga had taken notice of an intelligence agency’s illegal acts aimed at harassing and putting pressure on the family of Senator Sanaullah.

He said that it was the government’s responsibility to protect fundamental rights of citizens guaranteed in the constitution, and make the intelligence agencies refrain from indulging into unlawful actions (like picking up people and detaining them without warrants.)

Mysterious disappearance of political activists and their relatives has become a recurring phenomenon in Balochistan which has been witnessing a tug of war between the government and nationalist forces, seeking a larger share of indigenous natural sources for the most backward province of the country. The Baloch nationalists allege that the ‘missing’ people have been picked up by intelligence agencies.