Female human rights activists and members of Karachi civil society, Sheema Kirmani, Uzma Noorani, Mehnaz Rehman, Sara Zaman, Sajida Baloch and Naghma Sheikh held a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club on Monday.
While addressing the press conference, they expressed concerns over the police brutality against the families of Baloch missing persons in front of the Sindh Assembly in the past week. They termed this act as dictatorial and said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto always gave top priority to women’s rights but today, under the PPP government, such violence against women contradicts Benazir’s political ideology.
During the press conference, the activists said that protest was a democratic right of every citizen. The relentless use of force by the police is an obstacle to fundamental democratic rights. Expressing concern over police misconduct, they said that they believed that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah could not be absolved of his responsibility just by forming an inquiry committee.
The activists said the inhumane treatment of Baloch women in Sindh was against democratic norms. Every citizen has the right to protest and this is their constitutional and legal right.
They further stated that the problem of missing persons was becoming serious. This[enforced disappearances] is illegal and law enforcement agencies are operating illegally. Activists called for the recovery of missing persons.