The Baloch National Movement (BNM) held a protest in Toronto, Canada, on July 31 against the enforced disappearance of Abdul Wahid Baloch, a well-known literary activist and human rights campaigner, at the hands of Pakistani security agencies.
Holding placards and banners, the protesters demanded immediate and safe release of Wahid from illegal custody. They also raised demands of 'free Balochistan' from Pakistan's illegal occupation during their protest.
The BNM appealed for urgent intervention by the United Nations and international bodies to stop the crimes against humanity in Balochistan by the state armed forces.
"We have gathered here today, the Baloch Canadians, on the call by Baloch National Movement and we are peacefully protesting against enforced disappearance and the illegal abduction of Wahid Baloch, the editor of a Baloch magazine, a literary personality and a linguist, who is very much involved in preserving the Baloch language," said Dr Zafar Baloch, the organizer of BNM (North America).
"He is a human rights defender for the Baloch culture and for the people of Balochistan who are being disappeared for the last ten years. He has been tirelessly working very hard for the people, who are victims of enforced disappearance and their families," he added.
Demanding Wahid's immediate release, Dr Zafar further said, "His life is in great danger and we demand every nation and the human rights defenders to intervene and save the life of Wahid Baloch."
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Meanwhile, BSO (Azad) president Karima Baloch strongly condemned Wahid's abduction and appealed to the world human rights organizations to save the social activist's live.
The whereabouts of Wahid, a resident of Lyari in Pakistan, are still unknown after he went missing on July 26.
His family alleges that he was picked up by the law enforcement agencies.
In a recent report submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, Pakistan, the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) narrated that thousands of Baloch people have been abducted and many of them have been killed extra judicially in custody by the Pakistani state security forces, adding their mutilated bodies have been found dumped in different areas across Balochistan.
The VBMP in its report said that over 463 people were forcefully abducted while 157 mutilated bodies were found from Balochistan in 2015. Wahid Baloch is the latest victim of these atrocities in Pakistan.
