February 08, 2008	Friday	Muharram 29, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 7: Family members of Abdul Wahid Qamber who has been missing since March last staged a demonstration in front of the Karachi Press Club here on Thursday.

Expressing their concern over the mysterious disappearance of Mr Qambar, the protesting family members urged the human rights organisations and the media to take up the issue at international forums to press the government for the release of all Baloch activists who had allegedly been in the custody of the security agencies.

Organised by the Prisoners Committee of Missing Persons, the demonstration was largely attended by the family members of various Baloch detainees and the activists of the Baloch National Movement.

Carrying banners and placards with their demands inscribed on them, the protesters raised slogans against the ongoing military operation in Balochistan and called for an immediate withdrawal of troops from the province.

Fearing for his life, family members of Mr Qambar said that the security agencies conceded that he had been arrested, but his detention it was not being made public. They urged the government to produce Mr Qambar in court if he had committed any crime.They also called for an immediate release of all those rounded up by the intelligence agencies. They were of the view that if anyone was required for an investigation, he should be formally arrested, tried in open courts and his relatives and lawyers should be allowed to meet them.