HYDERABAD: Leaders of Sindh Progressive Committee (SPC), an alliance of Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM-Junejo), Awami Wor­kers Party (AWP), Awami Jamhoori Party (AJP) and Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP), announced on Wednesday that they would hold demonstrations outside all press clubs in the province on Aug 20 (Sunday) to voice protest against ‘enforced disappearance’ of political and social activists.

Speaking to journalists at a news conference at the press club here, they appealed to all progressive, social and political activists and organisations to support their protest.

SPC convener and chairman of his own faction of Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) Abdul Khaliq Junejo, AJP president Amanullah Shaikh, AJP Sindh president Bakhshal Thalhu, CPP provincial secretary Comrade Iqbal, intellectual Abrar Kazi and others expressed grave concern over unabated violations of basic human rights in Sindh, including ‘enforced disappearance’ of many social, political and nationalist activists.

Mr Junejo said that SPC demanded the government and authorities concerned should stop the “heinous and hideous practice of forceful abductions and disappearances” and ensure implementation of all human rights enshrined in the Constitution, including the right to freedom of expression, dissent and politics.

He demanded that all the abducted and forcefully ‘disappeared’ workers be produced in a court of law and be given opportunity to explain their position and legally fight their cases.

He held both federal and provincial governments responsible for the state of affairs and said the SPC kept raising voice against such atrocities since its inception. More than 200 mostly political activists had gone missing in Sindh but police officials were reluctant to lodge FIRs about them, he said.

“We must not forget that the tendency, mainly on the part of rulers to curb ideological and political opposition by such inhuman methods, has always been the main reason of radicalising politics of the disenfranchised ones,” he said.

He said that PPP-led provincial government raised a hue and cry when its ‘corrupt’ politicians or bureaucrats were arrested but sadly when political and social activists went missing, the government seemed to absolve itself of its responsibility by merely releasing a statement of condemnation.

He said that civil and bourgeois leaders of the country had handed over all their powers to the establishment, which included the right to arrest somebody and keep a person on remand for a span of three months.

He said that it must be kept in mind that a court of law was the only competent authority to issue such a remand without which police, Rangers or any other security agency could not arrest or detain any person.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2017