The protest of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons entered its 1300th day on Sunday. A delegation of civil society members visited the camp to express their solidarity with the families of abducted Baloch activists. The Vice chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons Qadeer Baloch told the delegation that, “VBMP has completed its 1300 days of protest during which time we protested in Quetta, Karachi and Islamabad. I and other members of IVBMP including sister of Zakir Majeed Baloch and her family have been receiving threats. Now along with threats I have been offered huge bribes to abandon the cause of disappeared persons.”He further said after he rejected all the offers of incentives, he has been threatened to be disappeared. He said, “Such threats and offers cannot weaken me but what is disappointing is the internal rifts of Baloch people – otherwise no power in the world can be a hurdle in my way. My strength is the prayers of the sisters, mothers and other relatives of Baloch martyrs and disappeared activists.”He said he was glad that the voice of Baloch mothers and sisters echoes at the international forums. He said at present around 18000 people were missing, 1500 have been killed and dumped and around 400 have been target killed by Pakistani security forces. Mr Qadeer said that only his organisation, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, has the list of these people but some other people are just stating guestimates to point political scores. “The list included from 1 year old to 80 years old persons.”He said Pakistan lost its reputation in the eyes of international community because of the tireless and continuous token hunger strike of VBMP; Supreme Court has been forced to take up the issue of enforced-disappearances in Balochistan also because of the struggle of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons. Today if government is making so called Commissions for recovery of missing persons that is also due to the protest camp of Baloch families, he added. “Today if the senate and the national assembly of Pakistan are speaking about disappearances that is also because of the Baloch families protest camp; European Union, United Nations and other human rights organisations are talking about human rights violations and disappearances in Balochistan because the voice of the families of Baloch martyrs and abducted persons reach to them,” Said Qadeer Baloch. He said I appeal the Baloch leadership and Organisations do not try to damage the cause of Baloch martyrs and disappeared activists because of their personal grudges. Qadeer Baloch said, “The enemy has infiltrated in our ranks as before there were common agents but now there are big and influential agents. We are busy pointing scores against each other instead of using our energy against the enemy. Our real enemies are China and Iran but systematic effort are being made to divert attention from them.”
