[u]For immediate release[/u] The International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (IVBMP) has strongly condemned the death threats to the leader of VBMP. In a joint statement the IVBMP coordinators in the UK, USA, Canada, Sweden, Norway and Australia have appealed to International Human Rights Organisation and the UN to take notice of death threats to Mr Qadeer Baloch, the vice chairman of VBMP and other members of his organisation by Pakistan and ISI and Military Intelligence. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons is the only organisation that has been striving for the safe release of enforced disappeared Baloch political and human rights activists. Its sit-in protest has now reached to 935 days. The Pakistani security agencies have been threating the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons’ members and leader since its inception. Several members of the Organisation have also been abducted by Pakistani security forces and later killed in their custody. The leaders of the Organisation have met with the UN WGEID during their visit to Balochistan and presented them a list of enforced-disappeared and extra-judicial killed Baloch activists. After the UN team completed its visit – they have accused the Pakistani security forces for enforced-disappearances in Balochistan in their preliminary report. The Pakistani Intelligence agencies and Military Intelligence have intensified pressure on the activists of VBMP and its organisers to end their protest camp and stop what they call ‘defaming Pakistan’ before the international community. The female members of the organisation have been threatened to be acidified if they did not stop demanding the release of their loved ones. Mr Nasruallah Baloch and Qadeer Baloch have been threatened to be killed for raising their voice against extra judicial killings and enforced-disappearances. International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons has made it clear time and time again that the state of Pakistan and army are the principal culprit of enforced disappearance of Baloch political and human rights activists. Equally, we take the death threats against the members of VBMP extremely seriously. Pakistani state and security forces have proved their capability and willingness in countless occasions in committing such heinous crime. The IVBMP also said that Pakistani state and army will be held responsible if any harm is done to either the leadership of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons or any of its members. The IVBMP has urged the UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other international Humanitarian Organisation to take concrete action before it is too late. The death threat to the leaders of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons is very real and we urge these organisations to pressurise Pakistan to prevent this tragedy before it is too late.
