The Sindh government has begun the second round of negotiations with the families of the Baloch missing persons who had staged an indefinite sit-in protest in Karachi. The government reportedly asked the families to reconsider their plans of “expanding” the protests and said that the Sindh government needs time to work on the safe recovery of the Baloch missing persons. Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, is personally involved in the efforts to ensure the safe release of the Baloch missing persons, the families were told.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee staged a weeks-long protest in Karachi for the safe release of the Baloch missing persons who were allegedly picked up by the Pakistani forces from Karachi and other areas of Sindh. Amna Baloch, the organizer of the BYC, said that the government must ensure the recovery of the missing persons or the families will expand the protests to other areas of Karachi.
Led by Amna Baloch, the families of the Baloch missing persons met with the Provincial Minister of Sindh for Mines and Mineral Development, Shabbir Bijarani, in his office in the Sindh secretariat for the second round of negotiations. Bijarani told the Baloch families that the Sindh chief minister has directed the officials to ensure the safe release of the Baloch missing persons. Bijarani expressed alarm over the violent dispersal of the peaceful Baloch protestors by the Sindh police and said that the forces involved will be investigated the properly dealt with.
Amna Baloch handed the provincial minister a list of the Baloch missing persons who were picked up from Sindh and demanded their immediate release. The Baloch families agreed to the minister’s request and called off the protest for the time being. The families said that if the issue can be solved with negotiations, then there is no need for a protest.