Pakistan: People hold rally against enforced disappearances of Hafiz Tayyab, others in Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], May 5 (ANI): People held a rally against the enforced disappearances of Hafiz Tayyab and numerous other missing people in the Khuzdar district of Pakistan’s Balochistan on Saturday, The Balochistan Post reported. During the rally, protesters called for action and the safe recovery of all missing persons from Balochistan.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and relatives of other missing persons came out in the protest called by the family of Hafiz Tayyab. Protesters marched through the city’s main thoroughfares and expressed their opposition to enforced disappearances and demanded the safe return of their loved ones.

Hafiz Tayyab was reportedly taken by Pakistani security forces from Jhalawan Hospital Khuzdar on May 4, 2013, according to The Balochistan Post report. His family said that due process should be followed and produced before court if there is any credible evidence against Hafiz Tayyab.

In a post on X, Baloch Yakjehti Committee had stated, “Today a decade has been completed the illegal abduction of Tayib, a protest rally held at khuzdar. BYC khuzdar Protested along family of Missing tayib against enforced disappearances. A large number of Masses have joined and recorded their protest.”

During the protest, people highlighted the plight of many others in Khuzdar, with their loved ones sharing grievances about the disappearance of their relatives. During the protest, BYC leaders said that their calls for a safe return of missing people had not been heard in previous protests and appeals to authorities in Islamabad.

The protesters called for a safe return of the missing people and transparency regarding the whereabouts and condition of Hafiz Tayyab, as per The Balochistan Post report. They also urged national and international human rights organizations to take notice of the situation and hold the state accountable for protecting its citizens, as per the law.

The South Korean chapter of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) staged a protest at Biff Square in South Korea’s Busan calling for an end to what they describe as “state-sponsored” oppression against the Baloch people, The Balochistan Post reported.

To raise awareness about the ongoing crisis in Balochistan, protesters distributed pamphlets to residents. During the demonstration, the protesters expressed their anger and denounced the Pakistani state for the widespread enforced disappearances and unresolved cases of thousands of missing Baloch individuals.

Bakhtawar Baloch, one of the protesters, spoke of the Baloch people’s enduring fight against what she termed “Pakistani occupation,” which has lasted for 75 years. She criticized the Pakistani state for the suppression and denial of self-determination rights.

She condemned the alleged “genocide” of the Baloch people by Pakistani forces over the forced disappearances of women, students, human rights activists, journalists, leaders, scholars, engineers, doctors, political and social workers and livestock herders, The Balochistan Post reported.

Residents of South Korea expressed sympathy for the Baloch cause and highlighted the need for international recognition of the Baloch people’s suffering, The Balochistan Post reported. Speakers like Hafsa Baloch, Sameer Baloch, and Agha Faiz also denounced the treatment meted out to Baloch people by the Pakistani state. Protesters marched through Biff Square as they shouted slogans.