“WHISPERS IN THE WIND: NAVIGATING SHADOWS AND SOLIDARITY WITH MISSING PERSONS IN BALOCHISTAN”

“WHISPERS IN THE WIND: NAVIGATING SHADOWS AND SOLIDARITY

WITH MISSING PERSONS IN BALOCHISTAN”

(SHAHID BALOCH)

Missing persons is a lived reality of Balochistan that can never be negated or denied. Imagine losing your young child and not knowing whether he is alive or dead. Hence, living in a grey area is a nightmare for the affected families as they are living their lives in constant uncertainty. However, there are many loopholes when the debate about missing persons is under discussion which adds extra complexity to the issue. To illustrate, there are cases where young men join militant organizations without telling their families. Similarly, there are cases where minors are abducted or killed in family feuds but their families include these cases as part of the missing persons list.

Apart from this, why the current March against missing persons has witnessed sizable strength in Kohlu? Surprizingly, despite the fact that there have been no reported cases of missing persons in Kohlu for the past 3–5 years, and probably people have done this just to show solidarity as part of Baloch Culture.

Secondly, no state apparatus was used against the participants of the march rather the state gave full protection to the participants. This demonstrates the state’s democratic behavior by allowing freedom of speech. However, the protestors need to show a rational approach and refrain from wall-chalking and chanting anti-state slogans under the cover of freedom of speech as it will only taint their movement and no effective results will be yielded.

It is very pertinent to mention that deviation from the core reason and primary focus serves as a significant and alarming indicator for the potential failure of any protest or movement. Initially centered around the plight of Balach Baloch during the long march from Turbat, Balochistan, the movement was unfortunately co-opted by ultra-nationalists and other interest groups. Gradually, the central cause became obscured with figures like Sami Deen taking the forefront, overshadowing the genuine victim Balach’s family. Presently, the hijacking of the movement has not only complicated its objectives but has also left many questions as to why the original issue of Balach seems to have been diluted by various forcefully integrated agendas.

Who was Balach? Balach has been a terrorist affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army since 2019. He was involved in several attacks on innocent civilians and security forces. He was arrested by (CTD) on November 20, 2023, with five kilograms of explosives. During the interrogation, he disclosed the location of a motorcycle loaded with explosives. On the night of November 22-23, CTD raided the site with Balach, but they were ambushed by other terrorists with heavy weapons, including rocket launchers. Balach and some of his associates were killed by their comrades in the attack. The remaining terrorists escaped under the cover of darkness. The terrorists assassinated Balach to prevent him from revealing their secrets and future plans. Before his death, Balach confessed to his crimes during the investigation. He admitted to killing a Sindhi shopkeeper in Turbat Bazaar in October 2021, a barber named Ijaz from Sindh in the fish market in December 2021, and injuring a lieutenant colonel and two soldiers in a landmine blast on an FC vehicle on May 31, 2021. Allegedly, He also claimed responsibility for grenade attacks on the Makran Scouts FC checkpost on August 12, 2021, and the FC checkpost near the National Bank on September 15, 2021.

Furthermore, the Government has addressed the initial concerns of the protestors and held CTD accountable for the incident by launching an FIR against the involved officials of CTD. Despite the CTD report confirming that Balach was a member of the banned BLA, why was an FIR still filed against the CTD officials? However, still the protestors now merging diverse interests to coerce other state institutions, and the movement upon reaching DG Khan has almost entirely compromised its core reason. As it advances towards Islamabad, there is a genuine concern that the original cause of Balach and his family will be overshadowed and new demands aligned with the interests of ultra-nationalists and propagandists may take precedence.

In 2006, the Supreme Court of Pakistan discussed the need for an official commission to address the issue of missing persons. The commission was formally established in 2010. After its formation, the commission urged all the provinces, NGOs, human rights forums, Voices for Baloch Missing Persons and every single citizen of Pakistan to report any case of missing persons through media, advertisements, seminars, etc. According to the commission, the total number of missing persons in the entire country, not just Balochistan was 10,000 from 2010 to the present. It is pertinent to mention that the commission recovered about 75% of the missing persons from the above-mentioned number. These 75% missing persons included those who left home and went to another city without informing their parents, a couple who married without the consent of their parents, and many more. Meanwhile, the total number of missing persons who are still not recovered is 2,200. However, Edhi claims that it has buried 40,000 unidentified bodies across the country. Moreover, in an official statement by the Afghan government, confirmed by the state of Pakistan, there is a huge number of people migrating from Pakistan to Afghanistan. This raises the question: are the people buried by Edhi and those who moved to Afghanistan, not included in the list of 2,200 missing persons?

Lastly, the pervasive issue of missing persons in Balochistan underscores the deep-seated anguish experienced by affected families living in perpetual uncertainty. The complexities surrounding this matter, including discrepancies in reported cases and the narrative implicating the state, necessitate a nuanced understanding. The movement initially rooted in the plight of Balach has unfortunately been hijacked by various interest groups, leading to a dilution of its core objectives. There is a need for protestors to maintain a rational approach and avoid veering off course is crucial to ensuring the movement’s credibility and achieving tangible results. Protestors also need to know whether they are raising their voices for their loved ones or playing under the hands of hostile agencies.