Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a student leader from Balochistan was abducted from the check post of the Frontier Corps in Quetta while he was returning from an interview for internship at Pakistan Telecommunications, a public sector company. In the campaign of killings of disappeared persons four more bodies of disappeared were found with bullet and torture marks. No a day goes by in Balochistan province without agitation and ‘shutter-down’ strikes in protest of killings and abductions allegedly by the law enforcement agencies.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Mr. Fareed Ahmed Baloch, the son of Haleem Ahmed Balcoh, a final year student of the Balochistan Engineering and Technology University, was abducted from outside the check post of Frontier Corps (FC) at Sariab road, Quetta, capital of the province, on February 9 after 6 pm when he was travelling with his cousin in a three wheeler. He was stopped at the check point by the FC persons along with some persons who were in plain clothes and taken away in a jeep bearing no registration number. His cousin, Mr. Changez Gichki was beaten at the post when he tried to intervene and his cell phone was also snatched along with his wallet. Fareed Baloch was the president of Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Azad) of district Khuzdar, Balochistan. Since then his whereabouts are unknown.
The family members of the Baloch are concerned about his security, especially in view of the large numbers of extrajudicial killings of disappearances in the province.
The extra judicial killings of the missing persons continue despite the strong public agitation throughout the province. A young missing person’s bullet riddle body was found on February 10 from Uthal district’s far flung area of kehnwari on the main national high way. Mr. Arzi Khan Marri 30 son of Mehar Khan Marri was abducted and was missing for three months. An FIR regarding his abduction was lodged at the Hub police station despite the fact that his body was found far away from this area.
Two more missing persons were allegedly extrajudicially killed and their bullet riddled bodies were found Turbat district on February 11. Mr. Jameel Yaqoob was abducted on August 28, 2010 by people in uniform and plain clothes from a motor service station at 4 am. The family members alleged that security persons carried out the abduction after they identified one of the men as being from the state intelligence agency. Yaqoob was activist of the Balochistan Nationalist Party (BNP).The other missing person, Comrade Qayyume had been missing since December 11, 2010 after he was abducted from his uncle’s house at Gwader, port city by the security forces as claimed by his family members. His bullet riddled body was found from Heronik district Turbat. Both persons had bullet wounds on their chests, abdomens and heads and their bodies showed signs of torture. Comrade was member of the organising committee of BSO-Azad.
Another body, that of a political activist, Saeed Ahmed Mengal of the BNP, was found in Koshak, district Khuzdar, on February 14 in the bed of a dried river. He had been missing since September after his arrest from his house at Hub district.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Disappearances in Pakistan have become a routine matter and it has been accepted by the authorities as a normal practice of the law enforcement agencies, including the army and its intelligence agencies. The major political parties, who are in sizeable numbers in the parliament, are also silent on the issue of enforced disappearances and torture in military detention cells. The distress caused by the disappearances is that, despite the departure of the government of President Musharraf, the menace continues under the present civilian government. On average, every month at least five or six persons are abducted and disappeared by plain clothed persons in Balochistan alone. This is frequently done in the presence of police officers who then refuse to lodge FIRs saying that the intelligence agencies are involved.
A new trend has been reported in forced disappearances and that is the extrajudicial killings of the victims. Through this method it is easy for the abductors to wash away all evidence of the disappearance–no question of FIRs, legal process or placing blame. During the period of former President Musharraf, the phenomenon of disappearances started through the state agents, though this process has continued in the civilian government at federal and provincial levels killings through extrajudicial methods is new phase in the disappearances particularly, in the province of Balochistan.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities to conduct inquiry in to the incidents of extra judicial killings of disappeared persons who were allegedly abducted by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies and prosecute those who are responsible for the extra judicial killings. Please also urge authorities to recover student leader, Mr. Fareed Baloch, who was arrested by the FC men and plain clothed persons and kept in incommunicado.
Please note that the AHRC writes a separate letter to UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance and Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Execution calling for their intervention into this case.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________,
PAKISTAN: A student leader abducted and four bodies of disappeared persons are found
Name of victims:
1. Mr. Fareed Baloch, son of Mr. Haleem Ahmed Balcoh, student of final year student of Balochistan Engineering and Technology University
2. Mr. Mr. Arzi Khan Marri 30 son of Mehar Khan Marri, resident of Hab-Lasbella, his body was found from Uthal district
3. Mr. Jameel Yaqoob, member of Baloch Nationalist Party, resident of Turbat district, his body was found from Heronak
4. Mr. Comrade Qayyume, student, resident of Gwader port, his body was found from Heronak, Turbat district
5. Mr. Saeed Ahmed Mengal of BNP, resident of Khuzdar his body was found from Koshak
All are from Balochistan province of Pakistan
Alleged perpetrators: Personals from Frontier Corps and Intelligence agencies
Date of incident:
Month of February
Place of incident:
Khuzdar district, Balochistan province
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the continuous abductions by the law enforcement agencies particularly by the Frontier Corps (FC) and their extra judicial killing of the abductees in the Balochistan province. It has been pointed out by human rights organizations and the media that in the recent months a new phenomenon has been introduced in Balochistan in that the law enforcement agencies are abducting the nationalists and activists and after many days the bullet riddled bodies of the missing persons are found on the road side.
I am appalled to know that no action has been taken by the authorities yet after having complaints of disappearances and killing of missing persons. This is the response by the FC and other intelligence agencies against the people of Balochistan who are struggling for their rights to have their control on their natural and mineral resources.
The details of the abduction of a student leader and extrajudicially killings of five persons are as follows:
Mr. Fareed Ahmed Baloch, the son of Haleem Ahmed Balcoh, a final year student of the Balochistan Engineering and Technology University, was abducted from outside the check post of Frontier Corps (FC) at Sariab road, Quetta, capital of the province, on February 9 after 6 pm when he was travelling with his cousin in a three wheeler. He was stopped at the check point by the FC persons along with some persons who were in plain clothes and taken away in a jeep bearing no registration number. His cousin, Mr. Changez Gichki was beaten at the post when he tried to intervene and his cell phone was also snatched along with his wallet. Fareed Baloch was the president of Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Azad) of district Khuzdar, Balochistan. Since then his whereabouts are unknown.
The family members of the Baloch are concerned about his security, especially in view of the large numbers of extrajudicial killings of disappearances in the province.
The extra judicial killings of the missing persons continue despite the strong public agitation throughout the province. A young missing person’s bullet riddle body was found on February 10 from Uthal district’s far flung area of kehnwari on the main national high way. Mr. Arzi Khan Marri 30 son of Mehar Khan Marri was abducted and was missing for three months. An FIR regarding his abduction was lodged at the Hub police station despite the fact that his body was found far away from this area.
Two more missing persons were allegedly extrajudicially killed and their bullet riddled bodies were found Turbat district on February 11. Mr. Jameel Yaqoob was abducted on August 28, 2010 by people in uniform and plain clothes from a motor service station at 4 am. The family members alleged that security persons carried out the abduction after they identified one of the men as being from the state intelligence agency. Yaqoob was activist of the Balochistan Nationalist Party (BNP).The other missing person, Comrade Qayyume had been missing since December 11, 2010 after he was abducted from his uncle’s house at Gwader, port city by the security forces as claimed by his family members. His bullet riddled body was found from Heronik district Turbat. Both persons had bullet wounds on their chests, abdomens and heads and their bodies showed signs of torture. Comrade was member of the organising committee of BSO-Azad.
Another body, that of a political activist, Saeed Ahmed Mengal of the BNP, was found in Koshak, district Khuzdar, on February 14 in the bed of a dried river. He had been missing since September after his arrest from his house at Hub district.
It is very disturbing for me and ordinary Pakistanis that if there is any charge of subversive activities or against the country then the legal process should be adopted rather than abduction of the accused person and keeping them in different torture cells. And finally when no evidence against them is found they are extrajudicially killed.
I urge you to initiate an inquiry in to the matter of continuous disappearances and extra judicial killings of the missing persons in Balochistan province and immediately stop this menace by the FC and intelligence agencies that are being held responsible by the family members of the missing persons. Please also withdraw the FC from the province and give the police responsibility for the law enforcement in the province.
I look forward to your prompt action to provide substantial and comprehensive policy responses on the cases of disappearances and killing of the disappeared persons.
Yours sincerely,
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9204801/9214171
Fax: +92 51 9207458
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
2. Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111/ +92 51 920 6111/ +92 51 920 6111/ +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk
3. Mr. Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani
Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +9251-9204108
Email: sarfraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
4. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
5. Nawab Aslam Raisani
Chief Minister of Balochistan
Chief Minister House, Quetta
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 81 920 2240
Tel: +92 81 449582 / 440661
E-mail: mirlashkari@yahoo.com
6. Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi
Governor of Balochistan
Governor House Balochistan,
Quetta- Balochistan province,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 81 920 2992
7. Chief Secretary
Government of Balochistan
Quetta, Balochistan province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 81 9202132
Email: chiefsecy@balochistan.gov.pk
Thank you.
Urgent Appeal Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
