KARACHI: Police on Sunday picked up several activists when a large number of people tried to go to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to protest against cases of enforced disappearances in Balochistan and the metropolis.

The protesters, belonging to several organisations, including Baloch Yakjehti Committee, Voice for Missing Persons, etc, holding a banner inscribed with ‘Ending silence on enforced disappearances’, gathered near Zainab Market.

They tried to march on the KPC but all roads leading to the venue were closed and contingents of police did not allow them to proceed further.

The traffic police closed M.R. Kiyani Road from Fawara Chowk, a portion of Aiwan-i-Saddar Road and Sarwar Shaheed Road up to the KPC for ‘security’ reasons.

Access to Karachi Press Club blocked to stifle protest

Sammi Deen Baloch, leader of protesters, told media on the occasion that a “large number of persons had gone missing in parts of Balochistan and Karachi recently”.

She claimed that from Karachi only, nine Baloch students had been taken away whose whereabouts were not known.

She added that the KPC had become a dargah (shrine) for all kinds of protesters where they record their grievances over a host of issues but that day, all roads leading to it had been closed.

She said that they were unarmed citizens just carrying pictures/portraits of missing persons and wanted to lodge their protest but they were prevented from doing so.

She said they did not want any ‘tussle’ with law enforcers and only wanted to exercise their constitutional and legal right of peaceful protest.

Meanwhile, the BYC in a statement claimed that the police resorted to ‘baton charge’ to disperse protesters and took away several of them, including the BYC central deputy organizer Wahab Baloch.

However, DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the police did not resort to lathi charge. He said that the police handled the protest in a ‘better way’. However, he admitted that five people had been detained.

KPC slams police action

Meanwhile, Karachi Press Club president Saeed Sarbazi, secretary Shoaib Ahmed, and members of the governing body condemned the police for closing off roads leading to the Karachi Press Club, calling it an attack on democratic freedom and right of free speech.

The president stated that the press club had a proud history dating back to 1958 and it had always championed the cause of press freedom and democracy and raised voice for the marginalised and the oppressed.

“Any attempt to restrict individual or collective rights to protest by blocking access to the press club will be met with strong condemnation. The actions of the Sindh government and law enforcement mirror those of a dictatorial regime. The use of Section 144 to justify blocking roads is completely unacceptable. The governor and chief minister of Sindh must urgently address this critical issue,” says a press statement issued by the press club management.

Published in Dawn, October 21th, 2024