HYDERABAD, June 28: The family members of Kirshan Sharma, who was taken away allegedly by personnel of a law enforcement agency, have appealed to the authorities to disclose the whereabouts of Mr Sharma and hand him over to judicial custody.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday, the mother of the human rights activist and writer, Leelan Bai, his uncle, Papu Sharma, brother, Nandlal, and son, Rahul, said Mr Sharma was on his way from Mithi to Karachi in a bus on March 21 when some “agency personnel” took him and two others, Cheetan and Kishore, away near the Naukot rangers checkpost.

They said they had sent telegrams to the president, prime minister, Sindh governor, chief minister, office-bearers of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, chief justice and other authorities about the incident. They said they had also approached local politicians and other influential persons but they were advised to remain quiet and not to go to the media.

They said some people in Mithi, Islamkot and Hub, Karachi, were also picked up by agency personnel but they were released after 20 days.

They said they even did not know whether Mr Sharma was dead or alive.

They appealed to the HRCP, writers, social workers and the media to help in finding out the whereabouts of Mr Sharma.