KARACHI: Leaders of the Joint Action Committee for Shia Missing Persons warned that they would continue sit-in and hold all Ramazan-related events at the sit-in venue after expiry of aforesaid deadline if the ‘missing’ persons were not produced before the start of the holy month.

Allama Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi and Allama Amin Shaheedi made this demand while addressing a joint press conference in Karachi on Monday.

Prominent scholar Allama Amin Shaheedi joined the main sit-in protest on Sunday night.

Allama Ahmed Iqbal referred to the constitutional and legal position and background regarding the victims of enforced disappearance.

He said that the families have already been fighting a legal battle through courts of law to seek end to unconstitutional and illegal enforced disappearance. Moreover, he said that they were assured that their demands would be met.

But he made clear that the families and the committee were calling for release of the victims of enforced disappearance prior to Ramazan.

He said that if any harm is done to protesters, then the government would be held responsible.

Meanwhile, Allama Shaheedi said that as patriotic Pakistanis, they cannot tolerate violation of Constitution and they would not support any unconstitutional and unlawful step of any state authority. However, they support state authorities’ steps which comply with the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2021