Students missing after arrest: families staged protest

Karachi, Pakistan: Two students missing after the forceful arrest by the Counter-Terrorism Department. Families of the missing students protested outside Sindh Assembly.

In order to put the matter in light in front of the government, the families of the missing persons, Doda Illahi and Ghamshad Baloch set up a protest camp outside the Karachi Press Club for the last two days which transformed into a rally soon after. On Sunday evening, they took out a rally from the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to the Sindh Assembly building, Dawn reported.

The protest was held to demand the recovery of the missing individuals, the media report said, adding that the protestors, including women and children, removed barricades placed by the police at Fawara Chowk and managed to reach in front of the assembly building to stage a sit-in outside the main gate.

SSP-South Asad Raza told Dawn that around 60-70 protesters led by Aamna Baloch, Sammy Din Mohammed Baloch, Abdul Wahab Baloch, Varsa Pirzada and others started a march from the KPC.

He said the police did not take any action as mostly the protesters were women and children and that the authorities held talks to persuade them to end their sit-in outside the assembly gate as the budget session was expected to take place on Monday. The protestors alleged that the missing students had allegedly been taken away by the Counter-Terrorism Department of the police, the SSP added.

Speaking to the protestors, the relatives and activists said that if the missing students were involved in any illegal activity, they should have been arrested instead they were taken away in an enforced manner at night from their homes in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The protestors said that their sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly gate would continue till the release of the missing KU students and others and demanded if the missing persons were involved in any criminal activity they should be presented in court, reported Dawn.