Several participants of protest camp for release of Baloch missing persons in Islamabad have gone missing without a trace.
According to Sammi Deen Baloch, one of the organisers of the protest camp, Isalmabad police arrested the participants and have taken them to unknown locations. “We have asked 3 different police stations but no information on their whereabouts. We came to protest for the missing, are we being abducted now?” asked Sammi in a tweet.
She added that at least 9 participants have been arrested and there is also no communication with several others. She also expressed concerns that other protestors will also be arrested.
According to some reports, the total number of arrested participants is above 20 and their whereabouts are not known.
Some of the missing participants have been identified as Sarwar Baloch, Talal Baloch, Abu Bakr Baloch, Salman Baloch, Akram Baloch, Bawal Baloch, Maqsood, Hameed and Yasir Baloch.
Family members of Baloch missing persons have been protesting in Islamabad for more than a week now. A sit-in protest is being staged by the families of the Baloch missing persons on D-Chowk in Islamabad.
Yesterday, The PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also visited the protest camp. Addressing the gathering, she bashed the government for not approaching the protestors. She said that if the missing persons are in any way culpable, produce them before the court, and if they are dead, just inform their family members.
Later in the day, federal ministers of Pakistani government also met the protestors. However, unsatisfied with the assurances by government representatives, the family members of missing persons announced to continue their protest camp.
Seema Baloch, sister of missing student leader Shabbir Baloch, said in a tweet that the negotiations with the government officials were unsuccessful last night. “We have made the decision that we will continue our protest camp until Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan meets us and gives us strong assurances,” she said.