KARACHI: The Joint Action Committee for Shia Missing Persons on Wednesday announced a protest demonstration on August 16 at Governor House demanding an end to “enforced disappearance of innocent members” of their community.

Talking to media at the Karachi Press Club the leaders of the committee said that the affected families and their supporters demanded immediate release of illegally detained members of the community. They said the community supported the rule of law and immediate release of missing persons.

They said that the community was in a shock and dismayed because they never took up arms against the state, while they also never did anything against national security. Despite their “patriotism and huge services for Pakistan”, they said that the officials treated them as though they had violated national security.

Innocent youths of the community and notables, they said, were suffering due to “biased mindset”. The affected families, parties, scholars, notables and other community leaders had been running a peaceful joint campaign to seek justice.

They also referred to a past meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi with the families of the missing persons where they were assured of immediate action on their demand. But, they said, no effort had been made by the government so far for the justice and safe recovery of their loved ones. They said that the family members of the missing persons were extremely concerned over the prolonged disappearance of their relatives and urged the government to ensure their release or production in court if they had violated any law.

They also said victims of the enforced disappearances also enjoyed fundamental rights as human beings and as citizens of Pakistan. They recalled that they had been asking the authorities to produce these detainees in court if they have any formal charges filed against them.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2020