Sammi Baloch is sad, very sad. Eleven years ago her father, Dr Deen Mohammad, was abducted by the Pakistani security forces and he remains “missing” even today. “I made every possible effort for the safe recovery of my father but couldn’t attain justice, as he is still missing. We have grown up in this VBMP (Voice for Baloch Missing Persons) hunger strike camp, but justice couldn’t be obtained,” said Sammi Baloch, daughter of missing Dr Deen Mohammad.
Mehlab Deen Mohammad, Sammi’s sister also accompanied her in the VBMP camp. Dr Deen Mohammad was taken into custody on 28th June, 2009 from the Khuzdar district of Balochistan and transferred to an unknown location, after which he continues to be “missing”.
“Only my family can understand the pain that we have been going through after the enforced disappearance of my father. We have knocked all the doors for justice, but I have to say with regret that 11 years have passed but we are still to get justice. Once again I am sitting in this (VBMP) camp. I appeal to Human Rights Organizations to play their role for providing me justice,” Sammi Baloch added.
Sammi Baloch demanded that she too be treated as a citizen of this country and provided justice.
Daughters of Dr Deen Mohammad Baloch, Sammi Baloch and Mehlab Baloch have continued to protest in front of Quetta and Karachi Press Club for years. The sisters have raised their voice on different forums for Dr Deen Mohammad’s recovery. They also took part in the long “March of Voice for Missing Persons” from Quetta to Karachi and to Islamabad.
Dr Deen Mohammad was affiliated with the political party BNM (Baloch National Movement). He was a Central Committee member of the party when he went missing. According to his family and BNM, the Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies abducted him while he was on duty.
On the 11th anniversary of Dr Deen’s disappearance BNM announced that a global protest programme would be organized for him and to acquaint the issue to the world an online campaign on social media will be launched on June 27 with a hashtag #SaveDrDeenMohdBaloch.
It is pertinent to mention that such abductions have been carried out innumerable times in Balochistan. Leaders, activists and vocal members of various student organizations have been allegedly detained by the security forces and kept incommunicado.
VBMP (Voice for Baloch Missing Persons) has been protesting nonstop for almost 4000 days. As per VBMP, as many as 45,000 Baloch men, women and children have been disappeared, who are languishing in torture cells.
VBMP also says that at least 5,000 missing persons have been killed and dumped by the Pakistani security forces over the last decade.
[…] are thousands of innocent Baloch including women, girls, lawyers, doctors, students, teachers, human rights activists and ordinary persons who are in illegal custody …Torture, ‘enforced disappearances‘ and extra-legal executions in Balochistan is the […]
[…] toys, I was at protest sites and knocking every door of justice for the safe recovery of my Baba. Eleven (11) long years have passed, but still I and my family are in a distressful situation. The situation in which we are spending our lives has been our fate since June 28, 2009 when we heard […]