London Protest Demands Release of All Missing Persons Held by Pakistan on International Day of Enforced Disappearances

The Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) brought together oppressed Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns, Kashmiris and Gilgit-Baltistanis for a protest at 10 Downing Street–the official residence of the British Prime Minister – against the Pakistani regime’s policy of abduction and murder of common civilians. Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) had organized the demonstrations on August 30–the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances– and representatives from Balochistan National Movement (BNM), Balochistan Republican Party (BRP), Pashtoon Tahafuz Movement (PTM), National Equality Party JKGBL and Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS) used the occasion to highlight Pakistan’s policy of ‘enforced disappearance’ seeking British Prime Minister’s intervention in the release of ‘missing’ persons.

Our joint protest clearly indicates that our common enemy is the Panjabi Pakistani regime that has committed innumerable atrocities on Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns and Kashmiris since 1947. This Pakistani regime continues to inflict wounds on Sindh, Balochistan, Pashtunistan and Jamu Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan We want freedom from Pakistan,” said Sohail Abro, chairman Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement during his address to the demonstrators at 10 Downing Street in London. 

Sohail Abro, chairman Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM), Sajjad Raja, chairman National Equality Party JKGBL, Mansoor Hab, central executive committee member JSFM, Ahmed Baloch, activist Baloch National Movement (BNM) and Sarang Sindhi, activist Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS) submit their joint memorandum to British Prime Minister. This joint memorandum was signed by the representatives of Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtuns and POK-Kashmiris who sought direct intervention from the British PM in pressurizing Pakistan to release the abducted ‘missing’ persons.

The JSFM protest was also addressed by Khan of Qalat Agha Suleman Dawood Jan, Sajjad Raja chairman National Equality Party JKGBL, Sarang Sindhi of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS), Mansoor Baloch leader of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) UK, Abdul Malik Ahmadi coordinator Pushtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) UK, Ilyas Anwer Baloch activist of the Baloch National Movement (BNM)–Manchester, Jasim Baloch from BNM, Ahmed Baloch, Aomar Karim and several others.

All the speakers and representatives of Baloch, Pashtun and Kashmiris strongly condemned the ongoing human rights abuses in Pakistan and highlighted the rising cases of ‘enforced disappearances”. Over the past three decades more than two lakh Baloch, over 6,000 Pashtuns and thousands of Sindhis have been forcibly abducted, and they remain untraced till date. Thousands of Kashmiris from the Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (POJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB) have been illegally kidnapped by Pakistani security forces and are being held in torture cells. Thousands of such disappeared victims have been brutally killed, and their mutilated bodies have been dumped in open fields.

The speakers explained that when families of these ‘missing’ people seek justice from the Pakistani courts they are ‘greeted’ with complete silence and there’s zero action from the Pakistani Police and political leadership. The speakers and all representatives from Sindh, Balochistan, Pashtunistan and Kashmir agreed that Pakistan is a large military garrison and every state institution is monitored and run by the Pakistan Army. 

“Under such circumstances the only way forward is total freedom from Pakistan and all the oppressed nations (Sindhudesh, Balochistan, Pashtunistan, and POJK/POGB) under illegal Pakistani occupation shall now peacefully and jointly work for total independence from Pakistan and will not rest unless this objective is achieved,” said the declaration agreed upon by Sindhi, Baloch, Pashtun and Kashmiri representatives.