KARACHI: Leader of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) Abdul Qadeer Baloch, better known as Mama Qadeer, claimed on Thursday that five of the 13 suspected militants killed by security forces earlier this week and accused of having been involved in the week’s murder of 20 labourers in Turbat had been missing for the past few months.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Mama Qadeer said it was not the first time that security forces had come up with such a claim after killing people in custody.

“At least five of those 13 men killed were missing for the past few months,” he said. “They all were picked up from different areas of Turbat district. Their families had reasons to believe that they were in custody of agencies,” he added.

Read: Turbat tragedy: 13 suspects killed in clash

Mama Qadeer was accompanied by leaders of Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Azad).

He said the names of the five young men were registered with his group as ‘missing Baloch persons’ and that institutions concerned as well as some human rights’ organisations were aware of their enforced disappearance.

The Frontier Constabulary (FC) claimed on Monday to have killed at least 13 suspected militants in a raid near Turbat and claimed that they had been associated with a banned insurgent group.

The paramilitary force also claimed that perpetrators of the Turbat massacre of 20 construction workers were among those killed.

Mama Qadeer said that for a couple of years security agencies had been killing people in their custody after every attack carried out by militant groups.

“When an attack was carried out by militants in Bolan a few months ago, security agencies had killed some missing persons and accused them of having been involved in the attack,” he added.

He said the situation in Balochistan was constantly deteriorating and both the federal and provincial governments were appeared helpless in resolving the issue of missing persons.

“After taking over as chief minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch visited my protest camp at the Karachi Press Club and asked me for the list of missing persons. He promised to resolve the issue in shortest possible time,” he said.

But now the chief minister had conceded that resolving the issue was beyond his authority, he added.

Mama Qadeer said members of his group believed that the government should involve Hyrbyar Marri for resolving the missing persons’ issue.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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