Karachi: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Monday expressed concern over the growing number of disappearances of political activists, scholars and bloggers in recent days in the country.
The coordinator of the PPP Human Rights Cell, Nafisa Shah, in a statement demanded that the federal interior ministry explain its position over the disappearance of at least four rights activists in the past few weeks.
“The interior minister must come clean on this matter and take urgent steps towards recovery of these activists,” Shah said.
At least four Pakistani activists, known on social media for their secular leftist views had gone missing in the past week.
Two of the men — Waqas Goraya and Asim Saeed — disappeared on January 4, according to a cybersecurity organisation. Meanwhile, Salman Haider vanished last Friday and Ahmad Raza went missing on Saturday, media reported.
“The minister for information technology should also give us an answer as it is apparent that their blogs have been removed,” Shah said, suggesting their disappearances were linked with their blogs and views.
All four were active on social media groups promoting leftist, secular views, often against the military or conservative state.
After wide coverage of the issue in the media, the interior ministry said it would investigate the disappearances of Haider, a Dawn newspaper blogger known for his outspoken views on the enforced disappearances in the western province of Balochistan.
Pakistan is routinely ranked among the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists and reporting critical of the military is considered a major red flag, with journalists at times detained, beaten and even killed.
Naseer, who suffers from polio was taken from his family’s shop in central Punjab. Goraya was picked up on January 4, as was Saeed.
Hours after Haider was due home on Friday evening, his wife received a text message from his phone saying he was leaving his car on the Islamabad expressway.
A police report has been lodged at a police station but, at the time of writing, authorities had no clue as to who picked up Haider and other people.
Criticising the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif government, PPP legislator Shah said that unfortunately the PML (N) government had miserably failed in implementing the National Action Plan that was aimed at militants.
“Ironically social activists and intellectuals, who are the main challengers of extremism in Pakistan ,are being kidnapped, tortured and victimised and the government is either clueless or unable to protect them,” she remarked.
Shah also voiced concern over the disappearances in the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces of the political activists.
