HRCP’s alarm at missing men in SIndh turning up dead

Lahore: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed grave alarm at the rapid rise in enforced disappearances in Sindh, with the victims turning up dead. Those taken away are young men, mainly political activists, picked up from various parts of the province in the last few months. Mutilated dead bodies of many of the victims have been found. HRCP demanded immediate steps to put an end to the ghastly trend and to bring the killers to justice.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Commission said: “HRCP has noted with great alarm increasing reports of enforced disappearance of citizens, mainly activists of nationalist political parties, in Sindh and their tortured bodies being found weeks or months later.

The victims include Shakeel Sindhi, a Sindh University student, was abducted from his house in Karachi on October 6 and his dead body was found on October 11. Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) activist Paryal Shah was abducted from a public transport bus headed from Dahrki to Kashmor on November 7. His dead body was found the same day from a village on the Sindh-Punjab border. The bullet-riddled body of Roshan Brohi, a resident of Larkana and a JSMM activist, was found in a gunny bag near Malir, Karachi, on November 12. He had been picked up on October 26. The dead body of Sindh Universitystudent and JSMM activist Asif Panhwar was found in a village of Larkana district on November 26. He had been shot several times. He had been picked up by security agencies from Jamshoro on August 15. On November 27, the bullet-riddled body of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) activist Waheed Lashari was found in a sewerage pond in Karachi’s Malir area. He had been abducted 29 days earlier from Qambar Shahdadkot, when he was travelling with his sister in a public transport van. Allah Wadio, a first year student, was abducted on August 13 from Karachi. On December 02 unidentified persons threw him in a critical condition near Hub Chowki. Police informed his parents who admitted him to Civil Hospital Karachi. He was reportedly picked up from there by security agencies’ personnel and on December 3 his dead body was found from Hyderabad Bypass.

“In several cases the involvement of security forces’ personnel has been established by witnesses while in some their role has been actively suspected. Those familiar with the authorities’ inclinations toward dealing with dissent across Pakistan over the last decade hardly need to be reminded why official involvement is suspected.

“Nowhere in the world have tactics like enforced disappearance ever yielded any positive result. It has only fuelled hatred and led to people and regions growing apart. The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly has already warned against the creation of “Balochistan-like situation in Sindh” and said that sending bullet-riddled dead bodies to the province would have adverse consequences.

“It is deplorable when any state starts abducting its citizens but with Pakistan already grappling with far too many challenges, only its worst enemies would wish to see continuation of enforced disappearances in any part of the country.

“HRCP has long called for trying those responsible for enforced disappearances, precisely for the reason that the continuing impunity encourages others in authority to consider going down this brutal path. We reiterate yet again that without identifying and trying the perpetrators we would not be able to put this monstrosity behind us.

“HRCP welcomes the condemnation of enforced disappearances in Sindh by the leader of the opposition and hopes that the government would add its voice to the censure and put a quick end to the disturbing trend and would bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We also urge the government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance without further delay and ensure its prompt implementation. Pakistan should also seek help from other countries, in this continent and beyond, who were once afflicted by this outrageous practice but have managed to turn their back on it.

“Civil society and the news media, especially the national media, must firmly train the spotlight on this disturbing trend and ensure that such extreme violations of human rights do not take place under the rubric of security or supposed national interest.”