A seminar was held at the Quetta Press Club this Sunday, drawing attention to the prolonged disappearance of Baloch activist Rashid Hussain and the purported involvement of both the UAE and Pakistani governments.
Key attendees at the seminar included Prof. Manzoor Baloch, Bas Khatoon (mother of Rashid Hussain), Saira Baloch, sister of the missing individuals Asif and Rasheed, as well as the mother of another disappeared activist, Zakir Majeed. Additionally, representatives from various organizations, such as Dr. Shalee Baloch from the Baloch Women Forum, Nasrullah Baloch, Chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, and Dr. Mahrang Baloch from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, were also in attendance.
From the legal fraternity, Advocate Imran Baloch and Changaiz Hayee Baloch, General Secretary of the Quetta Bar Council, offered their insights. Video messages were conveyed by Advocate Imaan Mazari and Advocate Kamran Murtaza, providing a broader perspective on the issue.
Dr. MahRang praised the commitment of the mothers in attendance, emphasizing collective responsibility. She said, “The mothers sitting before us, even at this age, are more committed to the struggle. It becomes our duty to voice their concerns without any personal or political agenda.”
Imran Baloch presented a sobering perspective on the current situation, contrasting the hardships of the missing with some individuals who have reportedly profited from their plight. “Many who seemingly advocated for these missing persons have now ascended to positions of wealth and political power. We need to introspect about these matters,” he remarked.
Shedding light on the broader implications of the issue, Salman Baloch, from the National Democratic Party, argued that enforced disappearances are more than isolated incidents. They are, he stated, strategies to deter political struggles for national identity, heritage, and resources. He mentioned other strategies like the ‘kill and dump’ policy, ‘fake encounters’ by the Counter-Terrorism Department, and the exploitation of sectarianism to undermine the Baloch national struggle.
Meanwhile, Professor Dr. Manzoor Baloch expressed his concerns about the unresolved nature of the missing persons’ issue. “Whenever we gather at such events, names like Zakir Majeed and Zahid Baloch inevitably surface. The entire nation feels their absence, the shared pain and suffering. It’s disheartening that despite the presence of numerous parties and organizations, the issue remains unresolved,” he remarked.
The seminar concluded with an emotional testimony from Rashid Hussain’s mother. She alleged the involvement of the UAE and Pakistani governments in her son’s disappearance, detailing her relentless quest for justice over the last five years. She stated, “Despite confirming my son’s arrest, the absence of any court presentation is a stark injustice.” She expressed gratitude to the seminar participants, and ended her speech with a heartfelt plea, “Our hopes for my son’s return lie with our nation, and we trust the Baloch people to continue being our voice.”