ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: Families and relatives of missing persons gathered at the Aabpara Chowk on Thursday, stepping up their protest demanding the release of their loved ones and accusing the government and intelligence agencies of torture, forced- disappearances and crimes against humanity.

The protesters carried placards with messages like “we condemn illegal abductions, torture and all human rights violations” and “stop illegal abductions —stop crimes against humanity,” and their protest coincided with the international day of disappeared persons.

“The enlightened and moderate don’t kill their own people like they did in the Lal Masjid tragedy,” said a protester adding, “In an enlightened and moderate country human rights are not violated and democratic principles are followed. If these people are guilty of whatever crimes the government accuses them of they should be tried in the courts of law which is their right.”

Holding photographs of their missing sons and husbands, protesters, they chanted anti-Musharraf slogans like, “Musharraf murderer” and “lathi, goli ki sarkar nahi chalay gi”.

Khalid Khawaja, of the Defence for Human Rights, asked, “How long innocent citizens will be subjected to state terrorism by our own government? How long agencies are going to commit atrocities against the people of Pakistan?”

Amna Jatoi said she had knocked many doors to find her husband but all in vain. “Why can’t Gen Musharraf see that mothers and daughters are in pain and suffering? We want our husbands, our sons and brothers returned,” she demanded.

The mother of Faisal Faraz, an engineer from GIK who had been missing for the last three years, said, “He was making preparations to leave for Hajj when one day he just disappeared.”

Nasira Begum, an 80-year-old, held a picture of her grandson, Saqib Jamil, a security guard at the World Bank office who had been missing for the last three years.