MULTAN: The Baloch activists, led by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons Chairperson Mama Qadeer Baloch, arrived in Multan on Wednesday on the 76th day of their long march to Islamabad highlighting the issue of Baloch missing people.

Several Seraiki nationalist parties, commoners and Baloch students of educational institutions welcomed the group showering rose petals on the participants.

Mama told reporters that the movement for the recovery of missing Baloch people had started in 2005 without much success.

He said the march would conclude outside the United Nations’ Secretariat in Islamabad where they would present the list of Baloch missing people with the secretariat and the embassies of different countries, including the US, the UK and China. He said they were in touch with embassies.

He said that they were receiving threats and incentives to end the march. He did not elaborate who were hurling threats or offering incentives.

“How can we sell our motherland and the blood of martyrs?” he asked.

He said they had not pinned their hopes on the Supreme Court as former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry spoke loud but remained fail to recover the missing people.

He said 18,400 Baloch were missing while 2,000 mutilated bodies were found in recent years.

“We have the detail of every missing person and update record regularly,” he said.

He said that like Balochistan and Sindh, the people of Punjab also welcomed them.

“We’re here to tell the people of Punjab that what is going on in Balochistan and that we are not against Punjabis but only against the oppressors,” he said. He said the Baloch nationalists were not involved in the killing of Punjabis in Balochistan. Secret agencies were killing the Punjabis to defame the Baloch people.

The participants would attend a seminar at the Multan Press Club today.

DCO: District Coordination Officer (DCO) Zahid Saleem Gondal said on Wednesday that the provincial government had released Rs50 million for the establishment of a safari park and a zoo in Multan.

The DCO told a meeting of officials that civil work on the project would be completed with Rs340 million.

He said that the project was the largest one in south Punjab that was being established at 54 acres on Shujabad Road.

He said that restaurants would be established in the park to facilitate the visitors.

He said that another Rs50 million had been released by the provincial government for the restoration and beautification of Shah Shams Park.

He said that Rs90 million had been spent on the establishment of a park at Dera Adda while additional Rs50 had been released recently for the purpose.

He said that the amount would be spent till June 30.

He said the government was trying to ensure healthy entertainment to the masses by establishing parks while the government was working for the restoration of real beauty of Multan.