Amnesty International South Asia has called for an independent, impartial, and prompt investigation into the killing of Sindhi political activist and teacher, Hidayatullah Lohar. The plea emphasizes the need to ensure accountability for the perpetrators without resorting to the death penalty.

Hidayatullah Lohar, a school teacher and prominent political activist, was fatally attacked by two unidentified assailants in Naseerabad while en route to his school. Despite persistent demands and an ongoing sit-in protest by his daughters, Sasui and Sorath Lohar – both prominent activists advocating against enforced disappearances – no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in connection with the incident.

Pak policy of enforced disappearance

Lohar’s tragic killing sheds light on the perilous conditions faced by activists and human rights defenders in their pursuit of justice. His history is marred by a previous incident in 2017 when he was forcibly disappeared by the Pakistan Army, only to be released two and a half years later in May 2019. During this period, the establishment allegedly pressured Lohar’s daughters to cease their struggle against enforced disappearances and terminate their protests, using the release of their father as leverage.

The incident underscores the broader issue of enforced disappearances in Pakistan, where dissenting voices often face abduction and intimidation. Hidayat Lohar’s case serves as a recent and poignant example of the challenges faced by those who question the establishment.

Amnesty International’s call for an independent investigation is a significant step towards addressing the enforced disappearance policy of the Pakistan Army. The international human rights organization emphasizes the importance of unveiling the truth behind Lohar’s killing, seeking justice for the slain activist, and holding those responsible accountable.

As Pakistan grapples with concerns over the suppression of dissent, the attention drawn by Amnesty International amplifies the urgency of addressing human rights violations and ensuring a transparent and fair legal process for those advocating for justice and accountability.

After the Pak establishment-sponsored brutal assassination of their father Hidayat Lohar, Sindhi nationalist’s daughters and the prominent voice of missing persons are on a sit-in protest against the establishment and its notoriety.

A couple of days ago, Hidayat Lohar was brutally killed by the assailants affiliated with the Pakistan Army. According to his daughters, Sorath Lohar and Sasui Lohar, their father was getting death threats since past few weeks before he was killed. Hiddayat Lohar has been a prominent figure in the struggle of Sindhis. Be it the issue of enforced disappearances or the Sindhi rights, he always remained at the fore front. In 2017, he was himself abducted by the regime and was subsequently disappeared.

Daughters of Hidayat Lohar protest for FIR

Hidayat Lohar, who was a school teacher, was also the leader of Voice of Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS), an organisation at the helm of the challenge to the establishment sponsored enforced disappearances. As he has been killed, his daughters are calling out the Pakistan Army and demanding an FIR in the assailants, whose details are with them. But, since the establishment is itself the culprit, it is trying to stave off the issue. And hence, the brave Sindhi daughters of Hidayat Lohar are sitting in protest at the Naseerabad Highway.

Meanwhile, Sorath and Sasui have also denied a visit to the police station to register the FIR, having a clear idea of the notoriety and extra-judicial acts employed by the establishment. They have demanded that their FIR must be registered at the sit-in in front of protestors. As of now, the sit-in has seen participation from various walks of life. Sorath and Sasui are getting support and consolation from across Pakistan.

Notably, by the continuous act of curbing legal framework and acting as fascist regime, Pakistan has led to the unification of oppressed community across Pakistan. Earlier, the simultaneous crackdown on Baloch in Islamabad long march and on Pashtuns in Chaman has raised hopes for a unified resistance from Baloch and Pashtuns. Now Hidayat Lohar’s killing and subsequent support from across communities marks another incident that shows the need of a combined struggle against the brutal Pakistani regime.

Recently, a senior bureaucrat in Pakistan has accepted his involvement in the rigging of the recent general elections in Pakistan. Commissioner of the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Liaqat Ali Chattha, said he would resign from his office and turn himself into the police.

He told reporters, ” We converted the losers into winners, reversing margins of 70,000 votes in 13 national assembly seats.” Also implicates the head of the election commission and the country’s top judge.

According to Al Jazeera, the commissioner stated that he was deeply involved in serious crimes like mega-election rigging in 2024 and said betraying his own country did allow him to sleep peacefully. “I should be punished for the injustice I have done and others who were involved in this injustice should also be punished,” he added.

Pakistan election commission has rejected Chattha’s allegations and said to hold an inquiry. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has claimed that this confession demonstrated how the state bureaucracy’s involvement in rigging in Pakistan is beginning to be exposed.

The confession along with various reports and videos flooded the social media which showcased the malpractices that occurred during and after the election. Booth rigging, and tampering with ballot boxes, as bags full of stamped ballot papers were found in the Mand area.

This shows how Rawalpindi’s ability to continuously select and puppet the facade of civilian authority through the ballot is nothing more than a barbaric display of power.

The historical oak trees in Upper Waziristan are being indiscriminately cut, even up to 200 meters away from roads by the military in the name of security. The actions are drawing criticism, as Pakistan Army has, at first, depopulated the region and is now contributing to environmental degradation.

While countries around the world focus on preserving their natural and scenic wealth, concerns are rising over the deforestation activities in Upper Waziristan. Apparently, under the guise of security, the Pakistan Army is not only jeopardizing the region’s ecological balance but also impacting the livelihoods and well-being of the local population.

The Pakistani establishment has defended cutting oak trees, citing security concerns as the primary motivation. However, security pretext has been a familiar modus operandi employed by the authorities. The irony is underscored by the fact that, despite claims of enhancing security, the native population of the region remains insecure, echoing earlier instances in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB).

Evidently, deforestation is less about security and more about resource exploitation, further filling the establishment’s coffers. The situation is drawing parallels to previous acts in other disputed regions.

Notably, there has been a lack of vocal opposition from environmental protection NGOs or climate activists or may be authoritarian nature of the Pakistani establishment may be discouraging individuals and organizations from challenging these actions. The silence has led to growing concerns about the audacity and ability of environmental advocates to confront such environmentally damaging practices.

Nevertheless, the current deforestation order by the establishment is going to pose a significant dent on the ecological balance of the region, consequence of which, unfortunately, will be heard only by the people of the region and not the authorities.

Strong agitations were witnessed after Sindhi nationalist leader, a schoolteacher and a vocal critic of enforced disappearances, Hidayat Lohar was fatally shot to death on February 16. Hidayat Lohar was persistently under the threat posed by Pakistan Army and its assailant. After his brutal killing, his daughter Sasui Lohar, who is also an activist raising voice against Pak-sponsored enforced disappearance slammed Pakistan Army and its puppet administration for not registering an FIR regarding her father’s murder.

She said that in 2017, when his father was abducted on his way to school, at that time he entered into a scuffle with the perpetrators. As a result, some identity revealing documents of the perpetrators, like IDs fell off the ground. She was asked to keep quiet or her father would be killed.

And now when her father has been killed, she has reached out to the police to expose them as Pakistan Army got her father killed despite her keeping quiet. But the police which is under the thumb of Pakistan Army is refraining from even registering an FIR. Sasui says that since the last few weeks, the death threats to his father had increased and was ultimately killed near his school.

She agonises accusing Pakistan Army saying that they had her father killed. She says that she has every evidence but the police is not giving an ear to their complaints and pleas. All she is getting is ignorance on her father’s brutal broad daylight killing. Notably, the killing of Hidayat Lohar yet again highlights the oppression of Sindhi community at the hands of authoritarian Pakistani regime.