ISLAMABAD: Families of people who disappeared in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province ended a 10-day sit-in near parliament in Islamabad on Saturday, after a government minister promised to look into their relatives’ case files.
The dozens of protesters say there has never been a proper enquiry into the fate of their loved ones, who they allege were kidnapped by state security forces over the past 12 years.
The government’s stance has long been that the individuals had joined extremist groups and were either killed in fighting or still at large as fugitives.
“We want rule of law in this country, and an end to forced disappearances,” said Nasrullah Baloch, leader of the Voice of Baloch Missing Persons organization.
”Those missing should be brought to court of law and innocents be freed,” he said, adding that the government had assured him Prime Minister Imran Khan would meet a delegation from the group and give priority to the protesters’ relatives.
Rights groups say thousands of individuals have been forcibly disappeared in the region since a separatist insurgency began there a dozen years ago. The province borders Afghanistan in the country’s southwest and has its own majority ethnic group.
The families had come from the region and slept in the open near parliament, holding placards by day and braving cold weather by night.
Human Rights Minister Dr. Shireen Mazari said the government was committed to stop enforced disappearances and was putting forward legislation to that effect.
Balochistan has experienced a low-level insurgency for over a decade over demands for autonomy or a greater share of the local mineral and gas wealth. Activists accuse the army of excesses in their crackdown, and being responsible for the disappearance of Baloch youths for years.
Pakistanis seeking disappeared Baloch relatives end sit-in
https://arab.news/ndu2q
Pakistanis seeking disappeared Baloch relatives end sit-in
- Baloch protesters say there has never been a proper inquiry into the fate of their loved ones
- The country’s human rights minister maintains the government is working on legislation to stop enforced disappearances
EU, Pakistan sign €60 million loan agreement for clean drinking water in Karachi
- Project will finance rehabilitation, construction of water treatment facilities in Karachi city, says European Investment Bank
- As per a report in 2023, 90 percent of water samples collected from various places in city was deemed unfit for drinking
ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Pakistan’s government on Wednesday signed a €60 million loan agreement, the first between the two sides in a decade, to support the delivery of clean drinking water in Karachi, the EU said in a statement.
The Karachi Water Infrastructure Framework, approved in August this year by the EIB, will finance the rehabilitation and construction of water treatment facilities in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi to increase safe water supply and improve water security.
The agreement was signed between the two sides at the sidelines of the 15th Pak-EU Joint Commission in Brussels, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Today, the @EIB signed its first loan agreement with Pakistan in a decade: a €60 million loan supporting the delivery of clean drinking water for #Karachi,” the EU said on social media platform X.
Radio Pakistan said the agreement reflects Pakistan’s commitment to modernize essential urban services and promote climate-resilient infrastructure.
“The declaration demonstrates the continued momentum in Pakistan-EU cooperation and highlights shared priorities in sustainable development, public service delivery, and climate and environmental resilience,” it said.
Karachi has a chronic clean drinking water problem. As per a Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted in 2023, 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in the city was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
The problem has forced most residents of the city to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as groundwater in the coastal city tends to be salty and unfit for human consumption.
Other options for residents include either buying unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buying it from reverse osmosis plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
The EU provides Pakistan about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. This includes efforts to achieve green inclusive growth, increase education and employment skills, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
