By: Carol Anne Grayson
Human right Commission for Pakistan-HRCP and friends of Baloch literary and social activist Wahid Baloch are to stage a protest on Monday 3rd October, at 4pm, Regal Chowk to Karachi Press Club to protest his enforced disappearance at the alleged hands of the state in Pakistan. On July 26th, 2016 Wahid was travelling with a friend Sabir Ali Sabir when the bus he was on was stopped at Karachi Superhighway toll plaza. Wahid was asked to leave the vehicle after an identity card check and taken to a “blue-coloured Vigo” as stated to Dawn media by his daughter.
“Missing Baloch social worker was “picked up” on Karachi Superhighway”
Frontline Defenders state,
“Abdul Wahid Baloch is a human rights defender who has called for justice for the Baloch community through the organisation of campaigns, protests and public condemnation of a number of high profile cases. The Baloch community has faced various forms of oppression in Pakistan and human rights defenders that have demanded justice for state violations against them have been regarded as being anti-state by the Pakistani authorities. This disappearance is the latest in a string of enforced disappearances, torture and extra judicial executions of individuals from the Baloch community from the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan.”
#SaveWahidBaloch Kindly Join the Rally to Protest against inhuman practice of #EnforcedDisappearances from #RegalChowk to #PressClub at 4 PM pic.twitter.com/iMivbI0BK3
— Mohammad Ali Talpur (@mmatalpur) October 2, 2016
Hani Wahid, eldest daughter of Wahid Baloch found it extremely difficult initially to get police to register her father missing and complete a First Investigation Report (FIR). Her struggles are documented in the following article,
“Abdul Wahid Baloch: My Father is not less Important than Son of CJ Sindh”
Media highlighted recently that an FIR has now been registered by Gadap police following a complaint by Hani against intelligence agencies under Section 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Social worker&human rights defender Wahid Baloch is missing. FIR registered.Fed/Sindh govts:find him. It’s your duty pic.twitter.com/EHPeC1IXON
— Raza Ahmad Rumi (@Razarumi) September 29, 2016
Wahid is employed as a telephone operator at Civil Hospital. According to Global Voices, he is also “in-charge of Sayed Hashimi Reference Library in Karachi which reserves all the published and unpublished materials on Baloch (the people), Balochi (the language) and Balochistan (the province). The Founder of Sayed Hashimi Reference Library professor Sabah Dashtyar, was shot and killed in 2011.”
#SaveWahidBaloch Enough is enough no more #MissingPersons.
I wish it were so.#EnforcedDisappearances are the #StatePolicy against #Baloch. pic.twitter.com/oVLIT3stMc— Mohammad Ali Talpur (@mmatalpur) October 1, 2016
Sign Petition from the Human Rights Council of Balochistan, “Save Wahid Baloch”
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Courtesy: activist1.wordpress.com
