KARACHI: Expressing serious concern over ‘enforced disappearances’ and killing of ‘missing’ political workers in Sindh, the Joint Action Committee comprising 40 civil society and rights groups on Friday announced that they would approach the apex court seeking a judicial inquiry into the disturbing trend to curb it.

During the past two months, 15 ‘missing’ persons were found shot dead in different cities, JAC representatives said, while explaining that they were going to move courts after having failed to get any ‘positive response’ from the law enforcers and the chief minister against this ‘growing trend’.

Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told journalists at the Karachi Press Club that the rights groups were extremely perturbed over the enforced disappearances trend that had increased in recent months in Sindh.

The situation in Sindh had a growing resemblance to the one obtaining in Balochistan province, she regretted.

“It is regrettable that state institutions allegedly kidnap people and later their bodies with bullet wounds and some with torture marks were being found,” Ms Yusuf said.

Citing some incidents, the HRCP chief said that a student, Shahid Sindhi, who was kidnapped on May 11, was found dead on Oct 6. Activist Pariyal Shah was abducted from public transport near the Sindh-Punjab border and was later murdered, she said. Similarly, she said, the body of Roshan Brohi, who was kidnapped in Larkana on Oct 26, was spotted in Malir on Nov 12. Sindh University student Asif Panhwar, who was abducted in Larkana, was later found shot dead. Another missing man, Waheed Lashari, was found murdered in the Malir area on Nov 27, she said.

Ms Yusuf said that another ‘missing’ person, Allah Wadhayo, was allegedly kidnapped from Civil Hospital Karachi where he had been admitted after being found in injured condition in Hub. His whereabouts were still not known, she said, adding that most of the victims were members of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz.

The HRCP chief said it was the demand of all civil society organisations that if the people were involved in any criminal activity, they should be brought before courts and such facts should be brought to notice of the media. “If such kidnapping and killings of people continue, the citizens of Pakistan will not feel themselves secure and they may consider the state their enemy,” she warned.

Besides, the rights group chief said, Pakistan should sign the international convention against enforced disappearances.

Karamat Ali of Piler said a meeting of the JAC Karachi was held recently in which participants expressed their concern over the increasing trend of “extra-judicial killing” of political workers in Sindh.

As per information received from the victims’ families by the HRCP, ‘security agencies’ took away ‘several persons’ in Karachi and other parts of the province and most of them were found murdered later this year.

“We believe that law and order is the responsibility of the provincial government, therefore, the government should seek a reply from the security agencies about their alleged illegal acts,” he said.

“JAC, a representative body of civil society organisations, is of the view that the youths of Sindh are being pushed towards extreme nationalism or religious extremism,” noted Karamat Ali.

For this situation, he said, there could be many reasons including indifference shown by the government towards their problems. “It was the responsibility of the lawmakers of Sindh Assembly to hold state and government institutions and ministers responsible for their performance,” the JAC representative said.

“It’s our view that the elected representatives, all political parties and civil society groups should take a joint action over the deteriorating situation in Sindh without wasting any further time by holding collective meetings so that a united stance could be taken,” the Piler chief said.

Sindh’s situation demanded that elected representatives, political parties and civil society strive jointly for strengthening democratic system and democratic traditions and to ensure that the state and government institutions perform their role as prescribed in relevant laws.

“Reforms in police and criminal justice systems should be brought so that the citizens of Pakistan can feel themselves as citizens of an independent country,” said the JAC representative.

Asad Iqbal Butt of the HRCP said around 106 ‘missing’ persons were released, while 55 people were still ‘missing’ in Sindh as per information collected by them.

He said 38 ‘missing’ persons had been found murdered in Sindh this year and three of them could not be identified.

He said MQM activists were also kidnapped in Karachi and their bodies were later found. “During the past two months, the bodies of 15 missing persons were found,” said the HRCP official.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2014