KARACHI: Rights activists, members of the civil society and a good number of people staged a rally in the metropolis on Friday to mark International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Carrying banners of their loved ones who have been forcibly disappeared or killed, the rally began from Teen Talwar in Clifton and ended at the Karachi Press Club, reported Dawn.com.

“Usually, when you have people coming out, the Baloch will come out for the Baloch, Pakhtun will come out for Pakhtun, Sindhi for Sindhi. In this event, we have all of the affected communities together. And to be honest, there’s no community in Pakistan that’s not affected by the practice of enforced disappearances,” academic and activist Nida Kirmani said.

The march — punctuated by slogans of “we want justice” — brought together several families of missing persons, long-time human rights activists, lawyers, and civilians.

The girls, some as young as 12, were following in the footsteps of prominent activists like Sammi Deen Baloch, who has become the face of the movement in recent years.

Sammi and Dr Mahrang Baloch have been at the forefront of national movements to end enforced disappearances, leading rallies and protests within Balochistan and across the nation where thousands have marched behind them.

So revered are the duo that women were wearing face masks with Mahrang and Sammi’s pictures printed on them, chanting their names in support as they marched on Clifton Bridge and made their way to KPC.

“If our loved ones have done anything wrong, there is the law to take matters into your hands. You can give them the death penalty if that’s what is meted out, but at least give us back their bodies,” Elahi Bux Bikik, a long-time activist from Sindh, said.

Qazi Khizer, vice-president of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)’s Sindh Chapter, said: “All those who have committed a crime should be presented in courts and those who have not committed any crime should be released.”

According to him, the march was attended by representatives of several civic organisations, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, Baloch Missing Persons, Sindh Sujag Forum, Voice of Sindhi Missing Persons, and Voice of Shia Missing Persons.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2024