Demonstrators criticised the filing of anti-terrorism cases against campaigners and urged international intervention….reports Asian Lite News Desk
The World Sindhi Congress (WSC) organised a protest outside the Pakistan Consulate in Manchester, calling for the recovery of Priya Kumari and other missing children in Pakistan’s Sindh province while criticising the registration of anti-terrorism cases against campaigners advocating for their return.
The demonstration brought together members of the Sindhi and Pashtun communities, civil society representatives, human rights activists and supporters from across the United Kingdom. Participants expressed solidarity with the families of missing children and called for justice, accountability and the protection of human rights.
According to a press release issued by the World Sindhi Congress, speakers alleged that Priya Kumari’s disappearance reflects a broader pattern of child abductions, enforced disappearances, human trafficking and the forced conversion and marriage of underage girls in Sindh.
They said such incidents had caused widespread distress among affected families and increased insecurity within vulnerable communities.
Representing the World Sindhi Congress, Hidayat Bhutto, Hafeezan Wadhio, Rauf Leghari and Ali Memon said the campaign seeking Priya Kumari’s recovery had evolved into an international human rights movement.
The speakers reiterated their support for the Priya Kumari Action Committee and said they would continue raising the issue internationally until all missing children were safely reunited with their families.
They also criticised the filing of anti-terrorism cases against members of the Priya Kumari Action Committee, human rights defenders and parents of missing children, describing the move as an attempt to suppress peaceful advocacy.
The speakers called on the Pakistani government to recover all missing children, conduct transparent investigations, bring those responsible for child abductions and trafficking to justice, withdraw what they described as fabricated FIRs and protect citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
Representatives of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and other community leaders also addressed the gathering, expressing solidarity with the people of Sindh.
The protest concluded with participants urging the United Nations, international human rights organisations and democratic governments to closely monitor the situation and support efforts to ensure justice, accountability and the protection of children’s rights.
