At the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) protest camp, Muhammad Ashraf, father of forcibly disappeared Muhammad Sudais, held a press conference with other family members in the presence of chairman Nasrullah Baloch. He said his son Muhammad Sudais was taken into custody on the night between 19 and 20 May this year from Madrasa Road, Killi Ismail, on the pretext of questioning, then moved to an unknown location and forcibly disappeared.
He said Muhammad Sudais’s enforced disappearance case was being heard by the commission and he was due to appear today, but the CTD submitted a report to the commission claiming that Muhammad Sudais was killed along with five other people in an encounter with security forces in Aghbarg on 20 August, and that his body was handed over to Edhi for burial.
Muhammad Ashraf said his son was taken into custody from home before his eyes and forcibly disappeared, and was later extrajudicially killed in an alleged fake encounter and his body even buried. Calling the incident a serious violation of the constitution, the law and fundamental human rights, he demanded that the senior authorities hold a transparent and impartial investigation, take legal action against those responsible and ensure that his son’s body is handed over.
On this occasion, VBMP chairman Nasrullah Baloch expressed deep concern over the alleged extrajudicial killing of Muhammad Sudais, saying that if anyone is accused of anything, it is the state’s responsibility under the constitution and the law to produce them in court and give them a full chance to defend themselves. First forcibly disappearing someone and then reporting that they were killed in an encounter is a very serious matter that requires an independent investigation.
Nasrullah Baloch demanded that all the facts about Muhammad Sudais’s detention, disappearance, killing in the alleged encounter and burial be made public; that a judicial or independent investigation be held; that the officials responsible be identified and legal action taken against them; and that, after verification of the identification of Muhammad Sudais’s body, the burial records and related evidence, the body be handed over to the family so that they can complete the burial according to their religious and human rights.
He said enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings can be prevented only through the supremacy of the constitution and the law, transparent accountability and justice for affected families. The authorities concerned must take this matter seriously and provide justice to the family.
