The family members of the missing human rights activist Rashid Hussain Baloch said they would hold a protest in Karachi on December 26th to mark the four years of his disappearance. Rashid Hussain was allegedly detained by the Emirati intelligence agencies from Dubai in 2018 and subsequently extradited to Pakistan despite the threats to his life there.
Rashid Hussain’s mother said in a media statement that her son was living in self-exile in the United Arab Emirates where he worked as a labourer to earn a subsistence. He was “abducted” by the Emirati forces and handed over to the Pakistani authorities.
She said that she and her family have knocked on every door in pursuit of justice, from human rights organizations to courts and the commission for missing persons. But where we have gone, we’ve got nothing but despondency.
She called on Baloch human rights groups, nationalist circles, political and social activists, journalists and student leaders to participate in the protest and raise their voices for the missing Rashid Hussain.
According to family sources, Rashid Hussain fled Pakistan due to concerns over his life. His family members were attacked and killed, which forced him to leave everything behind and seek asylum in the UAE, where he worked as a labourer. But the security he so desperately sought eluded him – he was detained by the UAE forces in broad daylight, kept incommunicado for six months and then illegally extradited to Pakistan. Pakistani news agencies and government officials initially confirmed his arrest and deportation, but many of them have now recanted their statements.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) have raised concerns over Rashid Hussain’s safety. They argue that his rights are being violated as he is not allowed access to lawyers, or to meet his family.
Meanwhile, the VBMP completed the 4896th day of its historical protest in front of the Quetta Press Club on Monday. BNP-Mengal leader Hasan Mengal Advocated, PSF Provincial Head Asad, and others visited the camp to address the gathering.
Speaking to the visitors, Mama Qadeer Baloch, the Vice-Chairman of the organization, said that Pakistani forces have accelerated the “enforced disappearances” in Balochistan. He said that the missing persons are labeled as “traitors” and “terrorists” because they speak for the rights of the people of Balochistan.
Mama Qadeer Baloch said “enforced disappearances” and “kill-and-dumps” have become the norm in Balochistan. It is only natural that the Baloch would seek a strategy to counter the barbarity the Pakistani forces inflict on them every day, he said.
The veteran activist lambasted the government, saying it is helpless regarding the recovery of the Baloch missing persons. Politicians and so-called public leaders are more concerned about their interests than the well-being of the Baloch nation. They frequently hold pre-planned press conferences to label innocent Baloch missing persons as “militants” and “terrorists”, he said.
Mama Qadeer Baloch said the army and FC personnel stationed in Balochistan enjoy more freedom and authority than the provincial assembly, which explains why the downtrodden and oppressed people never find justice.