In an incident on Friday morning, Hidayat Lohar, a prominent Sindhi political activist and father of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS) leaders Sorth Lohar and Sasai Lohar, was brutally killed by armed assailants in Naseerabad teshsil of Sindh’s Larkana district.
Hidayat Lohar had been reportedly forcibly disappeared by Pakistani forces from April 17, 2017, to July 2019, a period during which his daughters tirelessly fought for his freedom. The veteran teacher turned political activist had been an active participant in Sindh’s political landscape since the 1980s.
Lohar’s family said he was the headmaster at a local school, Golu Gawans. According to family sources, Lohar left home to walk to school as per routine on Friday morning when he was target killed.
Currently, under the leadership of Sasai Lohar, a sit-in protest is underway at Naseerabad, Larkana Bypass, where Hidayat Lohar’s body lies. Simultaneously, political, social, human rights, and nationalist parties across Sindh and Balochistan are vehemently condemning the assassination, with many pointing fingers at Pakistani intelligence agencies.
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued a statement, expressing deep sorrow over Hidayat Lohar’s targeted killing. The HRCP highlighted that Lohar had endured enforced disappearance for two years, and his family had consistently advocated for justice and the rights of the disappeared.
HRCP demanded an immediate and transparent investigation into the murder, expressing concerns over the worsening human rights situation. A protest demonstration is scheduled for Saturday, February 17, at 4 pm outside the Karachi Press Club, led by HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt.
Dr. MahRang Baloch, leader of the Baloch Yakjehtee Committee, took to micro-blogging platform X to express shock and sorrow over Hidayat Lohar’s murder. She condemned the barbaric act and emphasized the need for a collective struggle against Pakistani state “oppression” by Sindhi, Baloch, and other “oppressed” ethinic groups.
A veteran Baloch “pro-independence” leader Abdul Nabi Bangulzai strongly condemned the killing, stating that the state of Pakistan is attempting to silence voices advocating for human rights and national interests. He emphasized that Hidayat Lohar’s murder sends a clear message that the state does not tolerate those raising their voices for justice and human rights. The killing is seen as an attempt to politically and socially exclude individuals who challenge the status quo.