Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement demands release of missing persons on International Day of Enforced Disappearances

Karachi (Sindh) [Pakistan], August 30: On August 30, as the International Day for Enforced Disappearances is observed by the United Nations, Sohail Abro, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM), along with Zubair Sindhi, Amar Azadi, and other officials, has issued a joint appeal for the release of all missing Sindhi, Baloch, and Pashtoon individuals.

The statement underscores the importance of the day in recognizing and addressing the issue of enforced disappearances by state agencies.

Abro and his team highlighted the global solidarity for missing persons and called for increased international focus on this ongoing problem. They pointed out that many of those who go missing in Sindh are political activists detained by state agencies and subjected to severe torture, including hanging, waterboarding, and other forms of mistreatment. The statement mentioned several activists who have allegedly been killed or tortured, including Muzaffar Bhutto, Maqsood Qureshi, and Sami Ullah Kalhoro.

The document reveals that since 2002, more than 5,000 Sindhi freedom fighters have been reported missing, a situation the officials describe as a severe human rights abuse. Recently, on August 14, national activists Javed Mangrio, Zahid Channa, Sanwal Sindhi, and Afaq Abbasi were reportedly injured by Hyderabad police and taken to a local hospital.

Additionally, on August 19, 2024, Goro Sindhi (also known as Jamil Shoro), a key leader of the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, was attacked and shot by state agents while on his way to visit injured activists. He later died at Karachi's Trauma Centre.

The statement also addressed the wider context of state oppression in Pakistan, noting that approximately 22,000 Baloch and 4,000 Pashtun national workers have been forcibly disappeared. Activists from Saraiki, Gilgiti, and Kashmiri regions are also reported missing in large numbers.

Recently, nine bodies of Baloch national activists, who were allegedly tortured and killed, were found in various cities across Balochistan. On this International Day of Disappearance, the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement is calling on the international community, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, to act to locate and recover the missing individuals from Pakistani state institutions.