Saira Baloch, the sister and cousin of Asif Baloch and Rasheed Baloch respectively, has appealed for the safe recovery of her brother and cousin. The two individuals went missing from a picnic point in Noshki in August 2018.
Speaking at the Baloch missing persons’ camp in Quetta, Saira Baloch said that I have come all the way from Khuzdar in search of justice. She said that my brother Asif and my cousin Rasheed and several of their friends were “forcibly disappeared” by the Pakistani security forces from a picnic point in Noshki in 2018. Their photos went viral after a couple of weeks where they could be seen handcuffed and blindfolded. The Pakistani forces – the Frontier Corps, to be specific – also acknowledged that the missing persons were in their custody. Their six other friends were soon released, but they remain still remain missing.
She said that three years have gone by, and my brother is still missing. He was the sole breadwinner of the family and his disappearance has plunged our family into despair and destitution.
She said that Rasheed’s mother is old and fragile and she cannot even walk properly due to her old age. She has been hopelessly waiting for the safe return on her son. We appeal to the authorities that if our loved ones are guilty of a crime, they should be presented before a court and prosecuted legally.
She appealed to the human rights groups, including the Untied Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch, to take notice of her brother and cousin’s disappearance. She also entreated the journalists to convey her message to the Pakistani authorities.