QUETTA: Members of the United Opposition and the ruling Balochistan Awami Party and Balochistan Natio­nal Party-Awami (BNP-A) have termed the disappearance of four MPAs of the angry group a violation of human rights and said that under the Constitution the protection of life and property of every citizen is the responsibility of the state.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday evening, they condemned the disappearance of four members of the Balochistan Assembly and appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the situation.

They said Jam Kamal Khan Alyani had no legal and moral right to stay in the office of the chief minister. “Jam Kamal should resign after he lost confidence of the house as 34 members supported the no-trust motion tabled against him.”

Opposition leader Malik Sikandar Khan, Mir Asad­ullah Baloch of the BNP-A, Malik Naseer Ahmad Shah­wani of BNP-Mengal, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran of BAP and Nasarullah Zerey of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party addressed the press conference.

They said every citizen should be protected from detention under Article 9. “Article 14 states that the protection of human dignity is the responsibility of the Constitution.”

They claimed that three female and one male MPAs had gone missing because they had signed the no-confidence motion against Jam Kamal.

Sikandar Khan said it was a crime to keep mothers and sisters in illegal confinement. He said that he met the Balochistan governor and urged him to take steps for the recovery of missing MPAs.

Mir Asadullah Baloch, who has quit the Jam cabinet, said he exercised his right under the Constitution. Jam Kamal was trying to create anarchy in Balochistan, he added.

He urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the incident and defend the Constitution.

“I jokingly said that the missing members are in Quetta but they said no they are in Islamabad. They have been taken to Islamabad by plane,” he added.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Governor Syed Zahoor Ahmad Agha has said that all issues should be resolved through talks and mutual understanding.

Talking to a delegation of opposition members, headed by opposition leader Malik Sikander and BAP leader Abdul Rehman Khetran, at the Governor House on Friday, Mr Agha said it was his personal desire to resolve all matters through talks and in accordance with the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2021